Corruption
by C.Queen
Summary: No Malfoy has ever beaten a Potter. Scorpius Malfoy plans to change that however by using Al Potter's attraction to him as a weapon against the Potters. Only problem is Al has figured out the plan and he has some of his own. So who will corrupt who?
1. Single Weakness

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters get put into. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way the lawyers say it has to be. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Single Weakness

Most everyone in the world had some sort of vice or weakness. Something that manipulated or controlled that person in some tangible or intangible way. And there was nothing Scorpius despised more than weakness. He was a Malfoy after all, first, second, third and last.

He strove every day of his life to be everything his father was supposed to have been.

His grandfather had been the major influence of his life, his own father too weak and cowardly to stand against Lucius Malfoy's strength. His father was a failure, an embarrassment, a man who was looked down upon by most everyone. He would not be. He was strong, intelligent, and without any obvious flaws. He had had to earn the respect of every Slytherin in his house and he had. He'd made sure of it. The other houses didn't feel the same, but they weren't supposed to. He asked only that they fear him, and they did.

There was only one fly in his ointment. One itch he just couldn't scratch. Al Potter. His natural born enemy. Just the sight of the man had Scorpius's gorges rising. It was genetic. Their ancestors had been hating each other since the beginning of their names. So technically, in order to be a perfect Malfoy, he had to fight with the current Potter in residence. It was tradition.

There was only one problem with that. Potter wasn't cooperating.

Al Potter was what most parents wanted in a son. The Gryffindor was always polite, kind, and eager to help. He loved animals and children, and never even tried to get past second base with any of the girls he dated. Potter, in short, was a friggin saint. Scorpius doubted the man had ever said a mean thing to anyone, including him. Every attempt on his part to pick fights with the man for the past seven years had proved fruitless. His words and actions were simply ignored.

It was so frustrating Scorpius was sure he was headed for an ulcer if Potter didn't crack soon.

He could pick fights with every other member of the man's family easily, but Potter remained aloof, like nothing Scorpius could do was worth his time and interest. The bastard. He'd thought about simply turning his attention to the prat's younger sister, but that was just too low. She was a girl and two years younger than them.

His grandfather and grandfather had both been taken down by Al's father and it now rested on Scorpius's shoulders to regain the honor that had been stripped from them. Their wealth, lands, pride, all had been taken from them after the war. They lived off the wealth of his mother, dependant on her family for everything.

Taking down a Potter, that would be something, would mean something. An eye for an eye as his grandfather said. But how? There was no war, no dueling a man who refused to duel you. It had to be a somewhat fair fight, otherwise it would be meaningless. There was no honor in simply poisoning or blasting Potter into little pieces.

Not that he hadn't wanted to countless times.

So deep in thought was he that Scorpius almost missed overhearing the two teacher's speaking around the corner, his ears tuning in at the word Potter.

)

"So Al wasn't terribly hurt then? Harry and Ginny haven't been called?" Professor Longbottom asked Professor Sinistra, having just heard about the incident from the Potions instructor.

"He should be fine in the morning." The Astronomy teacher assured him. "Apparently they're just keeping him overnight for observation. Well that and they didn't want anyone taking advantage of the fact that for the next six hours or so Potter is incapable of lying."

"Especially since those morons mixed the Veritaserum with Godiva wine." Shaking his head Neville could only imagine the state his friend's son was in. Apparently a few students had thought to trick their potion's professor into revealing the answers to an upcoming test by putting the truth telling potion in with the wine the professor drank nightly. When they'd arrived to question Professor Blackwood they'd been very surprised to find Al there as well. Both were more than willing to tell the truth, but Al had apparently been aware enough to shut the professor up and get them both to the Medical wing before the students could get much out of them.

The two shared a look of wry amusement, pondering the lengths their students would go for good grades without studying. Really, if they'd only apply as much effort to their school work…

Glad to know that Al was going to be alright Neville bid his fellow teacher adieu and decided to head out. He'd visit Al tomorrow.

Watching the two teachers walk away Scorpius's smile was downright feral. He knew what had happened of course, he'd heard all about the plan, having been offered the opportunity to be a part of it. He didn't need to cheat to excel academically, and he didn't like cheating period. Only losers cheated, as it meant admitting openly that you couldn't do it otherwise.

So Potter had been visiting the potions professor for some reason and had been offered some wine before he left. Godiva wine tended to make people dreamy and out of it, which made the Veritaserum that much more effective. Right now, in the Medical Wing, Potter was not only incapable of lying but would be utterly defenseless. More to the point, he would be utterly vulnerable.

All thoughts of returning to his dormitory gone Scorpius changed directions, his cunning mind going a mile a minute as he thought up his plan of action. If ever there had been a time to find Potter's weakness this was it. He could ask the man outright and Potter would have to tell him.

There was always the chance the man would simply answer his family, but that was a weakness he already knew about. Scorpius had considered and than discarded the idea of forcing Potter's hand by threatening or causing harm to a member of the man's huge, annoying family. He could do that, but Potter's family tended to attack in packs. If he attacked one, the whole lot of them would come after him, not just Al. That would remain in reserve.

But if the man had some other weakness…

Oh the possibilities.

)

Arriving at the Medical Wing Scorpius easily let himself in, heading straight for the currently occupied bed. The lamp on the bedside was on, and Scorpius could see his prey perfectly as he took a seat on the chair someone had left at Potter's bedside.

"Potter." Scorpius sneered in greeting, taking in the perfectly groomed boy, already in his pajamas and ready for bed. Well, perfectly groomed except for the Potter hair, Scorpius silently corrected as he watched Potter sit up in the bed. No one and nothing could apparently keep the back hairs on a Potter's head down.

"Malfoy." Inclining his head Al took a slow, calming breath as he watched Scorpius watch him. There was no one and nothing that got his goat like Malfoy, and even in his current fog he knew he was in trouble.

"So I hear you're having problems handling your liquor, Potter. Setting such a bad example for everyone, aren't you? Did you take points off yourself already?" Potter was, of course, Head Boy after all.

Refusing to jump at the bait as per usual Al eyed the Slytherin with knowing eyes. "Do you ever get tired of trying to provoke me? I can't see what sport there is for you, seeing as you're wasting all your zingers on someone who could care less what you think."

Since this was true Scorpius was only that much more determined to get a reaction. While he was a perfect Malfoy Al was not the perfect Potter. Potters were supposed to react, to fight back, to do something other than treat him like a cranky child.

Hence Scorpius's extreme problem with the other man.

"Do you ever get tired of pretending to be perfect?" Scorpius shot back.

"I've never claimed to be perfect."

"But you can't tell me you're as wonderful and nice as you let people think you are."

"Of course I'm not." Rolling his eyes Al gave Scorpius an 'are you stupid' look. "But unlike you I try to be a better person than I am. People watch me all the time because of who my Dad is and everything I do reflects on him and vice versa. Unlike you we Potters do have a reputation worth living up to. And for that matter, better I pretend to be a better person than I really am than be like you, a windup toy who simply does what it's told without a single original thought."

"Excuse me? A Wind up toy?"

"You're so busy being what you think a Malfoy should be that you never do anything because YOU want to. You're so focused on living up to your grandfather's standards that you never even question if you believe or want to do half the things you do. You're a Malfoy and that's ALL you are."

"And aren't you ALL Potter?" Scorpius sneered, annoyed as hell.

"Would you say I'm a clone of my father?" Al returned.

Scorpius wished he could, but that just wasn't the case. Though there were definite similarities he couldn't say that Al wasn't an original. Unfortunately. He and Al's father would have definitely gone at in a number of times already.

Opting to get this over with before he really took advantage of Potter's current state Scorpius got straight to the point. "So tell me, Potter. Do you have any weaknesses other than your family? Something I could blackmail you with, maybe?"

"Chocolate."

"Chocolate?"

"Yup. I love the stuff. Any kind, in any form." Grinning at just the thought of the stuff Al suddenly wished he had some. Of course Scorpius wouldn't have any for him to snitch, the man wouldn't know sweetness if it bit him on the ass.

Rolling his eyes Scorpius called himself every kind of fool for thinking there would be something else. "You've probably never done an illegal thing in your life. Have you ever done anything worth even being yelled at?"

"I've been yelled at." Al protested, insulted. "When I was a kid."

"You probably don't even think bad things. What's the worst thing you've ever thought about doing, for Merlin sakes." Scorpius snarled, more pissed off at himself than Potter, not even really thinking about what he was saying as he dropped his head into his hands.

"Screwing your brains out."

Very, very, slowly Scorpius looked up, grey eyes huge as they met Al's slightly vacant ones. "Come again?"

"You asked me what was the worst thing I've ever thought of doing. That would be it. Having sex with you."

"You're joking."

"You do realize that I drank a glass that was half Godiva wine, half Veritaserum. Joking isn't really an option here. I have to tell the truth, unfortunately." And since the damn potion was making him feel talkative… "It surprises you that much? That's good to know. I worried a couple times that you'd figured it out. That that was one of the reasons you're always particularly nasty to me. Good to know it was just your sparkling personality. Does this mean you're going to avoid me like the plague now? Cause I would really appreciate that. That would really make this whole mess worth while."

Scorpius stared at him, not even remotely sure how to respond to anything Potter had just said. His head felt like it would explode, it was trying to absorb so much. "But you don't even like me." He finally blurted out, feeling he had to say something.

"I didn't say I wanted to date you. I said I want to have sex with you. Big difference. I love your face and your bitchin body, but your personality has all the appeal of a bogie flavored bean."

What was a man supposed to say to that? "You make my head hurt."

"You make mine hurt too. And other regions of my anatomy occasionally." Amused at them both and too drugged to think how royally screwed he was Al grinned at the Slytherin. "Don't take it personally, Malfoy. Goody two shoes like me are supposed to crush on bad boys like you. It's like a rule or something."

Staring at Potter Scorpius felt like he'd never seen the man before. How the hell could he have missed this? How could everyone have missed this? How was this even possible? But it had to be true, unless Potter was pulling a very elaborate prank on him. But why would he do it this way? It made no sense. It made no sense unless it was true. And if it was true…

"So you're gay?"

"Yup."

"But you date girls?"

"If you were a gay wizard you'd know that it's illegal to be one. There are still laws, unused but there, that says men like me can be executed if it can be proven we've gotten naked with another man. Until my Aunt Hermione can get those laws thrown out I can't come out without risking my life and whoever I'm seeing. As you no doubt know, since you study me extensively for weaknesses, I never date the same girl for long and I more often than not find them someone better suited before I break up with them. I'm not a complete asshole, but yes, I do date girls for the sole purpose of keeping others from questioning my sexual preferences."

"So you have done something illegal then."

"No, I haven't. It's not actually illegal to be gay, it's just illegal to have gay sex. I actually have to be getting some before I can be charged."

"Wait…so you've NEVER had sex before?"

"No need to rub it in."

"Actually yes, there is, but my head hurts too much to do it." Digging his fingers into his temples Scorpius couldn't see any way he could use this against Potter, no one would believe him. He wouldn't believe him if he hadn't heard it all with his own ears. Exposing Potter for his sexuality would definitely be fun, but proving it would be difficult at hell given Potter's refusal to break the law until it wasn't a law any more. "Only you would forgo sex because it would be breaking the law."

"Well, you want a one night stand, I'm willing to risk your life."

"You would consider sex with me worth dying for?"

"Nah, they like me. I'd get off with penalties. You, on the other hand, well they'd just love an excuse to end your family line permanently. Sleeping with you is the least I can do for my country."

"Very funny."

"Not really, no."

Now that his brain was starting to function Scorpius could see what Potter meant. Well at least he now knew the annoying git was suffering as much as he was, though for entirely other reasons. He suffered because Al was such a goody two shoes, Al suffered because he wanted his body and couldn't have it.

There had to be a way to use that.

And that random thought had Scorpius slowly getting to his feet, all emotion leaving his face as he looked down at his mortal enemy. "I should be going now, before you make my head ht anymore."

"I know that look. You're plotting something. Crap. That something involves me, doesn't it?"

"Guess you'll have to wait and find out."

)

Heading back towards his dorm, using invisibility to avoid detection, Scorpius's mind was recharged and ready for use. Because he needed to be able to think cunningly and clearly. There had to be some way to use what he'd just learned to his advantage. He should have asked if there was any other man in Hogwarts Potter was interested in, but that was hindsight. His brain was only now functioning fully. He could set Potter up, and that would be fun, but it just wasn't good enough. There had to be more.

It wasn't enough to make Potter a joke, or even to make him pay a little. There had to be some way he could really royally screw Potter over. Maybe by screwing him period.

Pausing in midstride Scorpius's head tilted thoughtfully to the side, lost in thought. Potter had said he didn't like him, but the green eyed pain had also pointed out that since the beginning of time goody two shoes had been led astray by bad boys. And more often than not became more than a little bad themselves. Ruined by their flirtation with the dark side.

Why shouldn't he follow such a time honored tradition?

Al Potter was a healthy young man, frustrated probably didn't begin to describe him. He would be ripe for the picking really. And using that, and his attraction to him, Scorpius saw no reason why he couldn't seduce the git to his way of thinking. Of course he'd have to sex with the other man, and that wasn't overly appealing, but then neither was the woman his grandfather had picked out for him to marry. One had to make sacrifices for the greater good.

How bad could it be?

It would probably take until the end of the school year; he'd have to ease the man into it after all. Potter's morals were too ingrained for him to abandon them quickly or easily. But if he could do it, if he could enamor Potter to the point where the man would do anything for him…well then…he could think of a number of things he wouldn't mind asking Potter to do for him.

And all of them would make Harry Potter rue the day he'd pulled his own father from the Room of Requirement.


	2. He's No Bond Girl

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters get put into. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way its got to be. Thanks so much for reading, hope you let me know what you think!

Note: Setting has been changed to Romance and Drama, rather than Humor. While there will be plenty of humor I thought it might be misleading, as Scorpius will be significantly darker in this in comparison to my other portrayals of him.

He's No Bond Girl

Making a last minute adjustment to his tie Al stared into the mirror, doing his best not to wince at his expression. He looked like a man on his way to his own hanging, which was exactly how he felt. Rubbing his hands over his face Al wished with all his might that he knew exactly what Malfoy had planned for him. It had been almost a week since that day and he was developing ulcers, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it would drop, Al had no doubt.

Picturing the look on the Malfoy heir's face when he'd left the hospital wing was enough to tie Al's stomach up in knots. Not just because of its wickedness, but also because of how hot Malfoy looked when he was being bad. The stormy grey eyes and waist length white blonde hair that went with the look just made Scorpius that much yummier. He'd spent way too much of his life imagining what that hair would look like down, rather than braided of tied back the way it usually was. That the body attached to the rest was equally lovely just made the mental images that much more fun to drool over.

"Whatcha thinking?" Louis asked, laying an arm over his cousin's shoulder as he looked into the mirror with Al.

"About how hot Malfoy is. And how he's right now probably planning my ultimate doom."

Looking at the two of them in the mirror Al could plainly see why no one ever believed them at first when they said they were cousins. His own hair was short and pitch black, Louis's was long and pure white. Louis topped off about six foot one while Al, much to his chagrin, just made five ten. Al's build was lean but muscular as a result of his part time job; Louis was slim as a girl and delicately built. Al could never be mistaken for anything other than male while Louis, if not for his height, would likely always be mistaken for a girl at first glance.

But they were best friends, and their differences just made them mesh that much better as far as they were concerned.

"Want me to talk to him?" Louis asked, his sapphire blue eyes alight with concern. He was really worried Al was going to make himself sick if he didn't stop worrying.

"I'll hold that in reserve."

"Well we better be heading for breakfast, or we're going to be late." And usually he was the one making them late.

Nodding in agreement Al followed his cousin out, the two walking in tandem as they headed out of the Gryffindor tower and down to the Great Hall, both spotting Scorpius at the same time. And he was headed right for them.

)

Scorpius was not pleased to see that Louis Weasley was with Potter. If there was one other member of Potter's family that annoyed him as much as Potter it was that one. Because while you could pick a fight with the other man, no one ever willingly started something with this particular Weasley. Not because the man was dangerous, but because picking on Louis was like kicking a puppy. No, not just a puppy, a golden retriever puppy. After you'd run over its mother and burned all its toys in front of it. No one made you feel like the scum of the earth like Louis Weasley when you hurt his feelings. The girlie boy was creepy as hell that way. He didn't even have to say anything, he killed you with his eyes alone. Slytherins avoided him like the plague for that reason.

But he was a man on a mission, so Scorpius steeled himself and continued forward. "Can I talk to you, Potter? Alone?"

Arms crossing in front of him Louis gave Malfoy a suspicious look. "What do you want to talk to him about?"

"I won't hurt him, Weasley. I just need to speak with him for a minute."

"I'll meet you inside." Al decided, giving Louis a gentle push towards the Great Hall. "I don't think he'll blow me away with all these witnesses around." Or if he did, at least he'd die knowing Scorpius would be joining him in the here after soon.

Only they'd be going in different directions.

After giving Scorpius one more hard look Louis relented, trusting that Al was right about the blowing up thing. "You hurt him and I'll sic my fan club on you." Louis called over his shoulder before joining the crowd.

As threats went that was a doozy. Because of his androgynous looks and Veela charisma Louis was beloved by all the girls at Hogwarts. He even had a fan club, which composed most of the female population from all four houses. And anyone that threatened their prince met a very, very bad end. One Slytherin had even had to transfer out of Hogwarts, for fear of their wrath.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Al asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"You have a break right after lunch, right?"

"That's right. As do you." They'd butted heads between classes more than once, especially since their schedules were so alike. The only difference in their timetables was that he took Care of Magical Creatures and Scorpius took Ancient Runes.

Reaching into his pocket Scorpius pulled out a piece of paper and held it out towards the suspicious Gryfinndor, who reluctantly took it from him. "Be there directly after lunch. We have something to talk about. Without prying eyes. Or ears."

And not waiting for an answer Scorpius strolled off, counting on Potter's curiosity to make him show up.

)

Which he did, calling himself every kind of idiot for doing so. He'd told Louis where he was going, and if anything were to happen to him at least his family would know who to blame. A small comfort, Al thought as he leaned up against the stone wall. The meeting place was out of the way, this part of the castle still damaged from the Battle for Hogwarts. No one would be coming by any time soon. Well until Louis and Fred came to get him in an hour if he didn't check in with them.

Sensing Scorpius's approach Al straightened and moved to face the man head on, wishing not for the first time that he didn't take after his Uncle Charlie in the height department. It was hard to intimidate someone when the top of your head just barely reached their chin.

"You beat me here." As cool as a cucumber Scorpius betrayed nothing as he came to a stop in front of his nemesis, smug in the fact that the stupid Gryffindor had no idea what was in store for him.

"Wasn't terribly hungry." He'd been too nervous to eat.

"Unusual for you." Normally Potter ate like a horse. He must be nervous.

Shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal Al forced himself to remain cool too as his green eyes met the Slytherin's smoky grey. "So what is it you want to talk about? Or should I say, what is your brilliant plan to make my life a living hell with the information I gave you five days ago?"

Well that was getting straight to the point. "And what would you say if I told you I have no intention of making your life a living hell?"

"I'd say I don't believe you. Making my life miserable is your favorite thing to do after proving to everyone that you're not a decent human being."

Lips twitching Scorpius had to admit that his conversations with Potter were never boring. The other man had a pretty good grasp of what kind of person he was, which would make it that much better when he brought the man down. Corrupting him, forcing him to become everything he despised, he was getting excited chills just thinking about it.

"Well as it happens I think you'll rather enjoy the results of our last little talk." Scorpius all but purred.

"And why would you think that?" Al couldn't think of how it would benefit him at all for Scorpius to know that he wanted him. Had Scorpius suffered some recent brain damage altering the man's recollections of that night? Naw, he just wasn't that lucky. And the man was definitely up to something. Every instinct was screaming that fact.

Raising a hand Scorpius had to work hard not to smirk at the expression on Potter's face when he gently slid the back of his hand down the man's cheek.

"What the…why did you…" Instinctively taking a step back Al's eyes were weary as he watched Scorpius, trying to figure out the man's motive, the brief caress wreaking havoc with his thought processes.

Let the lying begin, Scorpius thought as he stepped closer to the man, retaking the space the Gryffindor had put between them.

"Well you see, Potter…I've found myself bored with my usual fare lately. I've had all the girls worth screwing at this school and the recent ones have done little for me. Your…offer on Monday…well it got me thinking." Reaching out Scorpius grabbed Al's tie and used it to yank the very startled man up against his chest, enjoying immensely that fact that he was finally in control. Letting go of the tie Scorpius placed one hand on the back of Al's head and slid the other under the Gryffindor's robes to the man's back, pulling out the tucked in shirt so that he could place his hand against the man's bare back.

Eyes as big as dinner plates Al could only make a small, whimpering noise as he felt Scorpius's fingers move to splay against his bare back. In some part of his brain Al knew he should be saying or doing something, but he was in too much shock to think much of anything.

"What's the matter, Potter? I haven't even gotten your tongue yet."

And now it was time to find out just how horrible kissing a Potter could be.

Mentally bracing himself Scorpius leaned in and placed his lips against the ones already parted in shock.

Like a jolt from a taser, the feel of Scorpius's lips pressing up against his brought Al back to reality with shocking clarity, causing his baser instincts to kick into overdrive.

Grabbing the sides of Scorpius's head Al took control of the kiss with a passion that shocked the hell out of the Slytherin. Taking advantage of the fact that Scorpius's mouth had opened in surprise Al used his tongue to taste and explore, instincts screaming to take what he could before Scorpius regained his senses and pushed him away. Changing the angle of the kiss Al groaned as he tasted the reality of the man, even better than his sexiest dream. All dark and hot, the sensual flavors drew him in so that Al was mindless to anything but them as he groaned out his pleasure. He'd spent so much time imagining this that he didn't have to think. He knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted to get it.

He must have suffered a stroke, Scorpius thought dimly, even as he returned the man's groan with one of his own. But some part of his brain knew that his body was in working order and that it was letting Potter have his way with it. And that just wasn't allowed.

Forcing his mind to click in Scorpius fought to retake control of the situation, the kiss becoming a battle of wills as their tongues dueled each other for heated supremacy. And he was losing, Scorpius realized in shock, the force of Potter's desire blowing his own away. He'd never been kissed or touched this way, with such primal, basic desire. It was so unbelievably arousing that he actually wanted to let Potter have his way. It was mind-boggling.

Breaking off the kiss with a wet pop Al was getting up on tip toes so that he could turn his attentions to Scorpius's neck when it hit him exactly what he was doing. And why it was a big, big no no.

Pushing Scorpius away Al stumbled back, chest heaving as he struggled to take breath as he watched the Slytherin do the same.

"What the hell? Why did you..? What are you up to, Malfoy?"

Pissed off that the other man had regained his head first Scorpius struggled to gain control over his treacherous body. He'd expected the physical aspect of his plan to be a chore. Mildly unpleasant but not completely unbearable. If that kiss was anything to go by he'd been dead wrong. He was hard and aching, he actually wanted the other man, Scorpius realized, blown away by that single fact. He had not expected this.

Not that it was a bad thing, he reminded himself sternly as he met Potter's gaze squarely. That would just make the whole thing that much sweeter.

"You offered me a one night stand. Are you rescinding your offer?"

"You can't be serious."

"I'll be waiting for you in the Room of Requirement after dinner. Show up and I'll show you just how serious I am."

)

Sitting in his last class Al's mind was a million miles away. He might as well not have even been there for all he was getting out of the class. He would have skipped, but Malfoy would have noticed.

Malfoy.

He was sitting in the back as per usual, which was why Al was in the front, also as usual. And he'd never been more aware of the man. Hence his problem. He was working hard to suppress any thoughts about the kiss they'd shared but so far that wasn't going so well.

What the hell was Malfoy up to, Al wondered, doodling with his quill instead of taking notes. Malfoy was not attracted to him, there was just no way. Or so he'd always thought. That had definitely not been a wand in the Slytherin's pocket. Or in his for that matter. But him getting a hard on around the asshole was nothing new, unfortunately. And thw whole thing had definitely not been his imagination.

But Malfoy couldn't seriously be offering to have sex with him, could he? Why would he? If the man wanted to try gay sex there had to be some gay men in the school he didn't hate passionately. It just had to be a prank, Al thought firmly, trying to make his mind believe that. No matter how Malfoy's body had reacted, regardless of the mind-blowing awesomeness that had been that kiss, there was just no way.

The problem was he just couldn't see how this was a prank.

If they did have sex Malfoy would be in even more trouble than him, which meant he didn't mean to screw and tell. Sex tape? Again, he would fare worse than he would. Maybe he intended to get him all hot and bothered and than leave him to suffer? That was a possibility.

His gut said Malfoy was serious though, and he was a man who trusted his gut. But he couldn't see any way that Malfoy would gain from getting naked with him.

Frustrated Al looked at his doodles and scratched them out. Damn it, this was so unfair, he thought darkly. He just didn't have the experience to handle this. It wasn't like he was Casanova or James Bond. He didn't know how not to take sex seriously. Now Malfoy had a thing or two in common with the savvy, slutty spy, Al thought darkly. He'd probably screwed plenty of girls just like he'd said, seducing them so that he could...

Eyes widening Al automatically sat up straight as a light went off over his head. Puzzle pieces falling into place Al suddenly knew exactly what Malfoy was up to. Malfoy did want to have sex with him, but only as a way of gaining power over him. Just like Bond, Malfoy was aiming to use sex as a weapon, as a way of manipulating or using him. The moron might even think he could turn him into his love slave or something, willing to do anything if it meant more sex. Malfoy's ego was a thing to behold after all, the overconfident prick.

Looking at it objectively it was probably the most original plan a Malfoy had come up with in decades. Usually they just tried to kill his ancestors. At least they were learning that that never worked out well for them, which was some progress.

The only problem with this plan was that he was no stupid Bond babe.

Smirking a little Al tried to think of who he was, unable to come up with a single female lead that hadn't ended up in bed with James except for M, who really didn't count. There was always Moneypenny, but everyone knew that she'd have rolled around naked with him in M's office if he'd ever made a serious move.

It took him a good ten minutes, but Al finally decided that he was the fencing chick from the last Bond movie starring Brosnan. Though in this case he was on the side of good and wasn't planning to be run through by Halle Berry anytime soon. But Miranda Frost had been tough, intelligent, and more than up to facing Bond head on. She'd had sex with him because it suited her interests, not just because he'd shown an interest. Frost had manipulated Bond even more than he'd manipulated her, and that was if you could even argue that he'd manipulated her at all.

Yup, he was definitely going to be Frost in this scenario.

He'd follow suit and find out just how good Scorpius Malfoy was between the sheets, Al decided, his mind already formulating plans. Of course he had no intention of letting Malfoy manipulate him into doing anything he wasn't willing to do, but it would be fun to watch the other man try.

And unlike the other Bond babes, he was the one who was gonna get the lovin and do the leaving.


	3. Time To Be Bad

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put those characters in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it has got to be. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think of my evilness!

Time To Be Bad

Louis knew something was up. He wondered about it all through dinner as he covertly watched Al out of the corner of his eye. His cousin had been off in his own little world since his meeting with Malfoy, and so far he hadn't been able to get it out of his best friend just what the two had discussed. All he knew was that whatever had happened, it had put a secretive little smile on Al's face.

Louis got some answers as they were leaving the Great Hall, his eyebrows lifting as he watched Al undo his tie as he walked, stuffing it into the pocket of his robes. The robes Al then shrugged out of and held out towards him to take.

Taking the robes from him Louis's expression plainly demanded an explanation.

"I need you to take that." His plan called for as little clothing to pick up as possible. "And I need you to be my M for this evening."

"Your M?" Louis repeated, having no idea what Al was talking about.

"M as in the head of M16. James Bond. Basically, you're my boss and I need you to call in the calvary if I'm not back to our common room by midnight. Or in this case you and our other two roommates come and rescue me from The Room of Requirement. Oh, and if you find me incapacitated, mauled or dead, Malfoy did it."

"Okay…." Blinking, Louis didn't know what to think. He knew who Bond was, and M now that he thought about it. His brother in law's grandfather had been a fan of the books and films, and he's seen both around the Tonks house. "So you're Bond then?"

"No, I'm Agent Frost. This is an alternate universe and I'm good and Bond is bad. Or should I say he's badder than he usually is. Anyway, have to get going, can't keep him waiting."

And with a wink Al sped off, Louis only now seeing that for some strange reason Al wasn't wearing any socks. Just what the hell was going on with him? And how was Malfoy involved? Was Malfoy…Bond? Uh oh.

"Where's Al running off too in such a hurry? What's he up to?" Lily asked as she came to a stop beside Louis, joining him in watching her brother run up a flight of stairs that would certainly not take him to their common room, where he should be headed.

"I don't know, Moneypenny. I just don't know."

)

Al knew that Scorpius would be waiting him. He'd seen the Slytherin slip out of the Great Hall shortly after the desserts had appeared on the tables. He'd expected as much. Scorpius was the type to think being there first would give him the home advantage. But if that was an advantage, it was the only one Scorpius would have.

In some part of his mind Al could see a good little angel version of himself stuffed in a corner saying that what he was about to do was crazy and that he should turn around and run away before he did something incredibly stupid. But the bad, devil version of himself was busy jumping up and down like a released spring, celebrating the fact that for the first time in over a decade he was in control. He'd been suppressing his bad boy impulses for so long that the chance to let loose had his head spinning madly. And he had to have some control, Al reminded himself. His own plan hinged on having control over himself…and over Scorpius.

Al was not nearly as nervous as he'd always thought he'd be. Your first time was supposed to be a big deal after all. Not to mention nerve wracking, worrying about how you looked, how you should proceed, whether you were going to get sex at all period. Well Al was ninety percent sure he was getting sex, he figured Scorpius knew enough about sex for the both of them, and there was no question that he wasn't Scorpius's physical type because he was male. It was actually freeing, Al thought, to know he could proceed as he wanted, do what he wanted, and Scorpius would let him get away with it. He was going to have sex with the man and he didn't have to hold anything back because he didn't care what the other man thought of him in or out of bed.

For the first time in a very long time, he could do as he pleased and say to hell with the consequences.

)

Walking down the hallway that led directly to the hidden room Al watched as the doors magically appeared on the wall before him. Obviously Scorpius had told the room to expect him. Coming up to the wooden doors Al pressed his own hands up against it, silently communicating to the room that it was to appear for Louis as well, if he did not leave it before midnight. The door warmed under his hand, as if to say that it understood.

Smiling, Al took a deep breath, and then pushed the doors open, stepping inside the room.

The light in the room came from two sources, a huge fireplace and the candelabra that stood on the bedside table. The fireplace Scorpius stood in front of was as tall as the Slytherin, the light coming from it enough to illuminate most of the large room. The three candles in the candelabra glowed soft light onto the huge, four poster bed that dominated half of the room. The bed sheets were already pulled back; and silently invited them both to slide between its silk sheets.

As the doors closed behind Al Scorpius turned around and watched the man come towards him. Grey eyes thoughtful Scorpius took in the fact that Al had dispensed with his robes and tie before coming, looking much more casual and touchable without them. Hmm, two less things to take off of him, Scorpius mused as he crossed his arms, his face giving none of his thoughts away. He too had taken off his robes and tie, which were draped over the chair situated in front of the fireplace.

The two meeting up in the middle of the room Scorpius couldn't have said why, but the look in the man's eyes gave him a moment of unease, before he squelched it. "Potter."

"Malfoy."

"You showed up."

"So did you."

And because he wanted Scorpius to be off center from the get go Al took that last step so that there was no space between them as he pressed his lips up against Scorpius's, nibbling on the bottom lip before tracing it ever so slowly with his tongue. He might not have had sex with anyone yet, but he'd kissed and been kissed his fair share. And he had been planning for a long time just what he'd do with Scorpius if, in some parallel universe, he ever had a chance to sample all that the bad boy had to offer.

Surprised but allowing it Scorpius shifted his head to catch Al's teasing tongue between his teeth, holding it for a second before sucking it into his mouth. Swallowing Al's groan Scorpius twined his own tongue around Al's, their tongues soon dueling once more though with a sort of laziness this time.

But that lazy quality didn't last long.

Hands coming up to rip out the tie holding Scorpius's ponytail together Al speared his fingers through the man's hair, combing it loose with his fingers, tugging hard on the strands as Scorpius began ravaging his mouth without mercy.

He didn't want any anyway.

And neither did Scorpius. His head had been too clouded before to truly appreciate the taste of his arch nemesis. He'd finally found something he liked about the other man, Scorpius thought with dark humor. Sampling Al's mouth with his own Scorpius explored every inch of it with hungry, carnal desire. And the more he tasted, the more he had to have, so that he framed the Gryffindor's face between his hands, turning the man's head this way and that so that he could taste from every angle, groaning his pleasure as Al did the same.

And shock didn't begin to describe Scorpius's reaction when Al let go of his hair to reach down, take a firm grip on either side of his shirt, and pull with enough strength to have buttons flying and material ripping. The material was pushed off his shoulders before Scorpius could say a word of protest, Al getting up on tip toes to bite a path down Scorpius's exposed neck, leaving bright red marks along the way to mark where he had been as he nipped and sucked.

"You ruined my shirt." Scorpius groaned, his head automatically dropping to the side to give the other man better access to his neck.

Digging his fingers into Scorpius's shoulders Al dragged his tongue up Scorpius's bruising neck. "And your point is?" He purred out, nipping the bottom of Scorpius's earlobe.

"My point is you have to pay for that."

Forcing Al's mouth back to his Scorpius completely controlled this kiss, being far more rough and savage than he'd ever been with anyone else. He couldn't, wouldn't rein himself in here. He had to dominate, he had to control.

Feeling himself begin to melt under the heat Scorpius was producing Al reached down and quickly undid his own buttons, shrugging his shirt off before returning his hands to Scorpius's shoulders, holding on for dear life as he learned what it truly was to have your mouth ravaged.

Scorpius herding Al towards the bed they fell down upon the covers with Scorpius on top, though not for long.

Together they rolled across the sheets, fingers digging into each other and their remaining clothing as they fought for top position and control. Undoing the hooks of each other's trousers Scorpius's eyebrows rose as he slid Al's trousers down, noticing immediately that the Gryffindor wasn't wearing anything under them.

"Commando, Potter?"

Color flushing his cheeks, since this was the first time he'd ever gone commando, Al did his best to hide his reaction by simply looking up at Scorpius's challengingly, daring him to say more as he kicked off his pants and shoes.

The truth was that he was starting to get nervous, because he had never gone this far with any of his 'girlfriends'. And while he had dreamed about getting men, especially Scorpius, into this situation, now that he was in it it was so much more than he'd expected. He ached, from head to toe, and just the heat of Scorpius's gaze was enough to have him squirming for more.

And Malfoys did so love to make Potters squirm.

Lowering his head Scorpius encircled one of Al's nipples with his tongue, catching it between his teeth when the Gryffindor started to squirm even more under him. In fact, the man's reactions were so…delicious that Scorpius couldn't help but drag them out, using all his skills to make Perfect Potter squirm and moan under him with pleasure, licking up the sweat that broke out over the muscled body so completely enthralled with his.

And completely forgetting that he was supposed to be trying to show Scorpius who was boss too Al simply laid back against the cool sheets and wallowed in what Scorpius was doing to his body, his breathing coming out in gasping pants and groans as he did everything possible to move his willing body closer to Scorpius's devious mouth and skillful fingers. He couldn't get enough of either, and made his ire known when Scorpius withdrew in order to remove the last of his own clothing.

Of course that ire died a quick death as he watched Scorpius undress, Al's mouth drying out as he gazed upon the perfection that was the Slytherin's body. Again, his personality was the pits, but by all the galleons in the world he was beautiful naked. Shifting up onto his elbows Al was so taken with the sight that he didn't bother to hide his hunger or desire, his emerald green eyes glowing with it as he licked his lips in heated anticipation.

Stomach tightening at the look in the Gryffindor's eyes, Scorpius couldn't ever remember being looked at with such raw, primal desire. Potter was looking at him like he wanted to eat him, consume him without mercy or consideration. The look in those emerald eyes was the hottest, most erotic thing Scorpius had ever seen in his life.

Could he make them burn even more?

He couldn't wait to find out.

Setting a hand on either side of Al head Scorpius leaned in, his stormy grey eyes just as hungry as they met Al's unconsciously seductive gaze. "Ready to find out what you've been missing, Potter?"

It was the Potter that did it, the way Scorpius said it, with such a familiar, mocking air.

Eyes narrowing slightly a grin slowly crossed Al's face as he finally remembered his plan. "Did you know, Malfoy, with your hair down you look almost as girlie as Louis."

And in that moment of Scorpius's furious disbelief, Al reached out and flipped their positions, moving between Scorpius's legs before the Slytherin could comprehend what he was up to. Knowing he had less than seconds Al didn't think, but let instinct and desire direct his movements. Eyes burning Al slid one arm under Scorpius's leg and wrapped the other around Scorpius's erection as he loomed over the other man.

Scorpius's furious "Potter!" went from a yell to a shocked groan as Al thrusted inside of him, going all the way to the hilt with a speed and roughness that had Scorpius's fingers digging frantically into the sheets as he automatically arched into the thrust. Grey eyes widening as Al began to thrust in and out it was all Scorpius could do to breath as their eyes locked. The heat, the pressure building up within him was more than he could bear, wiping all thoughts from his head except one.

More. He had to have more.

Sweating dripping off both of them like rain their gazes held as they thrashed and plunged, skin slapping sharply against each other's as Al rode him hard, Scorpius's nails digging groves into Al's hips as he held on for dear life, pulling the Gryffindor deeper into him as he harshly demanded a harder pace.

Groaning out their pleasure and desire as the heat between them built and built, the two thought they couldn't possibly survive what was brewing between them as their systems overloaded, taking them over so that they could do nothing but feel as first Scorpius and then Al came, both crying out their release as they plummeted over that last, pleasurable peak.

)

Rolling off Scorpius when he had the strength the two lay side by side on their backs, gasping for every breath. Frantically their minds tried to comprehend and absorb the power and pleasure they'd just experienced. Neither could wrap their mind around the explosiveness of what had just happened, how raw and primal it had been, how shockingly real it all was now. It was one thing to plan to do something after all, and another thing entirely to follow through.

They were, however, in silent agreement that what they'd just done was the best idea they'd ever had in their seventeen years of life.

Al was the first to get himself under some semblance of control, something he'd been rather desperately hoping for. Sitting up he forced himself not to look at the Slytherin, knowing his resolve would weaken if he looked at what he was leaving behind. Especially since there was nothing he wanted more than to do what they'd just done all over again.

But they weren't in the bed because they loved or cared about each other, and he was not going to let Malfoy get away with thinking he could use him so easily. He'd won the battle, now he had to toughen up and ensure that the bastard knew he'd lost the war too.

Sliding over to sit on the side of the bed Al reached down and grabbed his trousers, using what strength he could muster to slip them on and get to his feet, doing up the zipper with shaking hands.

Turning his head on his pillow Scorpius frowned as the Gryffindor disappeared from sight as the other man leaned down to retrieve something. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He'd never lost control the way he just had, and gaining it back was crucial. That what he wanted to do most was drag the Gryffindor back into the bed for an encore just screwed with his head that much more.

All he knew for sure was that he had to have more. And he had to have it now.

Shoes in one hand Al walked over to grab his shirt before turning to face Scorpius, who'd found enough strength to sit up, looking deliciously rumpled and ravished. Gulping hard it was all Al could do not to crawl under those covers and take the scowling Slytherin with him. Sensing how weak his resolve was becoming Al forced himself to turn and give Scorpius his back as he headed for the door.

"Back to my room of course." Al called out over his shoulder, his voice rougher than normal, husky from overuse. "I've got homework to do. Nice screwing you, Malfoy."

And to the sounds of said Malfoy's outraged cursing Al let himself out and closed the door behind him.

Then Al Potter beat as hasty a retreat as he was up to.

Mission Accomplished.


	4. Report, Double O

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters get put into. Thanks for reading this fic for so long, hope you enjoy the latest chapter and let me know what you think!

Report, Double O

Sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room Louis Weasley nervously brushed his shoulder length white hair, glancing over at the large clock nearby after every five strokes. Where oh where was Al? And what was he up to? Stress was not a good thing, Louis reminded himself, forcing his eyes to move away from the dials of the old grandfather clock. Stress led to wrinkles and the destruction of the perfection that was his face.

A best friend should not bring about the destruction of their best friend's face, Louis thought sulkily, eyes sliding back towards the clock. And he intended to tell Al so as soon as the jerk got back from the Room of Requirement. Well unless he really did have to round up their roommates and go save his cousin from Malfoy's evil, Slytherin clutches. And if that happened he was not going to be a happy Gryffindor at all.

It didn't help that he just couldn't shake the feeling that sex was somehow involved. And that was bad, very bad. It wasn't like he couldn't understand things from Al's side, he most definitely could, but they both knew all too well that there were some risks you just didn't take. Like ones where other people might be made to pay for it.

Louis was better off than Al in that he was actually allowed to legally have sex with other men. Veela men were incredibly rare, you were more likely to find a saint in the Slytherin house than meet one in your lifetime. And all men with Veela blood were homosexual from birth, being more female than male in looks and personal tastes. Only their plumbing kept them from being mistaken as women. Louis had just enough Veela blood to be considered not entirely human, and therefore not subjected to the same rules as most wizards where homosexual practices were concerned. In other words, if he could find someone who also happened to be gay and not purely human, they could have sex and not wind up in jail for it.

So far he hadn't lucked out there, but he kept hoping.

And where the hell was Al?

)

When Al finally did enter the common room fifteen minutes later Louis was waiting and more than little annoyed with him. He was so mad he was close to risking frown lines.

Arms crossed in front of him Louis aimed his best deadly interrogator look Al's way as he used the Judi Dench impression he'd been working on while he'd been waiting for his agent to show up. He'd gotten her pretty dead on, if he did say so himself. "Well, Double O whatever, you're looking very pleased with yourself. Blow up Soviet Russia?"

"Okay, dude...that's just creepy."

Walking over Al grabbed a chair and turned it so that he would be facing Louis, knowing better than to think he could just brush his friend's concerns off. "Guys shouldn't advertise the fact that they can perfectly imitate a girl's voice either." He added with a wink, in too good a mood not to.

"It was a perfect imitation? Really? Most excellent." Louis had been compared to girls all his life, and was never really insulted by it. There were far worse things to be compared to after all. And men weren't exactly prizes either. At least women took care of their physical appearances and didn't spout out annoying fart jokes all the time. And he was being distracted. Eyes narrowing Louis gave Al a look that said he wasn't to be annoyed.

Shaking his head over the weirdness that was his favourite cousin Al grinned. "It was a perfect imitation and no, I left Soviet Russia alone. The Cold War is over."

"Good to know." Cocking his head to the side Louis tried to read Al's expression, finding it a lot harder than usual. He certainly looked like the cat that got the cream, but he also looked both tired and exhilarated at the same time. A most unusual combination. He'd seen that look a couple of times on his cousin's face, usually after the man had just done something potentially life threatening and walked away without a scratch. Like the time he'd had to run away from one of their Uncle Charlie's dragons in Romania until the beast could be restrained. "Just what have you been up to?" He finally asked, dropping the Judi Dench impression.

"Bonding." Was Al's oh so innocent reply.

"But you said you weren't Bond." Louis reminded him. "You said you were that Frost chick."

"And I am. Let me rephrase then...I was doing what Bond does best."

It only took Louis a moment to put the pieces together. "Are you out of your bloody mind? Shagging? You were off shagging someone? Have you suffered head trauma recently? You know the laws, the rules. Hell, you know them better than I do. What were you thinking?" Blue eyes flashing Louis disappointment in his cousin was plain. "You may think no one would enforce those antiquated laws but there are plenty of people will out there who don't think your dad is the cat's meow and would leap at the chance to use you to-."

"Louis, calm down." Laughing Al reached out to pat Louis's knee. "No one is going to find out or get in trouble. I promise."

Eyes narrowing an even worse thought occurred to the other man. "You shagged a girl?"

Now he really had to laugh as he shook his head. "I shagged Bond, Louis."

"Bond? Bond who? We don't know anyone with the last name-oh, that Bond. Exactly how would you go about...oh bloody hell." Even more pieces falling into place as he remembered who Al had gone to meet, Louis gapped at his cousin like a landed fish. "You...and him...together...shagging...what the hell is going on here? How did I miss this? Why would he ever...-"

Leaning forward Al quickly outlined what he thought Malfoy's plans were, careful to refer to the Slytherin only as Bond in case they were overheard. It would make things safer for the both of them.

When Al was finished Louis had to agree that it really was the most original plan a Malfoy had ever come up with. Doomed to fail horribly, but original. Tucking strands of hair behind his ears Louis asked what to him was the most important question of all. "So did Bond live up to his reputation in the bedroom?"

Al's slow, wicked grin said it all.

"I always figured he'd be pretty amazing." He'd be envious if weren't for the fact that Malfoy wasn't his type. He didn't like them pretty. He was too pretty himself to look good with someone who could compete with him in that area. But still, Louis decided he was allowed a moment of envy since Al was getting some and he wasn't. It was only fair.

The clock striking out the hour Al turned his head to read the clock, raising an eyebrow at the time. "We should be heading up to bed. It's getting late." He'd need a good night's sleep if he was going to be up to facing Malfoy tomorrow.

"Oh I don't think so, Agent Frost." Louis informed him dryly, falling back on the Dench impression for emphasis. "I am the head of M16, am I not? You might think you can go off on a mission without consulting me, but you'd be dead wrong about that. I expect a complete and thorough briefing of your latest contact with Bond and you aren't to leave a single detail out. Neither of us is going off to bed until you do."

Al had to laugh again. "Yes, Boss."

)

His back propped up against his headboard Rorake Goyle looked up briefly from his textbook, instincts telling him to do so. Watching his roommate all but stumble into the room Goyle turned his attention back to his book, a faint smirk crossing his rugged face as he pretended to read the words printed there. Looks like whoever you're shagging now gave you one hell of a ride, the Slytherin thought softly, looking over his book once more to watch his roommate actually use the wall somewhat as support as he made his way over to his side of the bedroom. Interesting, especially since Scorpius was actually swearing under his breath as he went.

But he knew better than to ask.

Closing his book Goyle found a bookmark to mark his place, knowing that Scorpius would want all the lights off as soon as he was ready for bed. Slipping his glasses off Goyle was just about to lean over to place them on his bedside dresser when the sounds of more cursing and ripping rent the air.

Turning his head Goyle's eyebrows rose as he watched Scorpius tear apart something white, a fabric of some sort by the sound of it. A shirt? What was going on?

The shirt hitting one of the walls with little sound Goyle forced himself to concentrate on himself and leave Malfoy the hell alone. Setting the glasses down on the dresser beside the book Goyle straightened and hastily got under his covers, not glancing in Malfoy's direction once. When he heard the other man getting into bed Goyle breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was scot free as he turned off his bedside lamp.

"Goyle."

A long, cold shiver going up his spine Goyle had to clear his throat before answering. "Yes?"

"In a physical fight who would win...me or Albus Potter?"

Shit. Damn. Fuck a duck. Wincing Goyle saw his life pass before his eyes. It wasn't long enough for him to come up with a good way of answering the question without winding up dead as a doornail. Because he couldn't lie to the other man. Malfoy had an amazing bullshit-o-meter where he was concerned. And he wasn't the type of person you could sidetrack either.

Better to say it as quick as possible.

"In a duel of wands you'd probably win. In a physical fight he'd win."

Again Malfoy's voice came out from the darkness. "And why would you say that, exactly?"

An even colder shiver ran up Goyle's spine. Not good, definitely not good. Try to hedge and distract, it was the only thing to do, the Slytherin thought desperately. "Well in a wand duel things can go weird, like how Potter's father beat the Dark Lord even though logic dictated Potter shouldn't have stood a chance, given the difference in their knowledge and training. Or how your great aunt got beaten by Potter's grandmother. Strange things can happen in a duel."

"Goyle." The easygoing tenure of Malfoy's voice had Goyle instinctively shrinking further under his covers. "You know what I'm asking."

"Sorry. Just buying some time to think about how to answer you."

"Thinking has never been your strong point. Now answer me."

Goyle's dark eyes narrowed at the insult, even though people making cranks about his intelligence was nothing new to him. But still, he hated it and it made him respond with complete honestly. "You aren't a physical person. You wouldn't last long in a hand to hand battle with him if it were a fair fight. You've never been taught to defend yourself and you don't do anything designed to improve the strength or deadliness of your body. Potter might be a goody two shoes but he's very athletic and in excellent physical shape. Better than most in fact. And he's in a large family with a number of boys who probably pounded on each other regularly growing up. At least that's what I would bet on. And on top of that he's the son of an Auror. His father would have taught him things." He could have said more, but he would keep those things to himself. Malfoy wouldn't learn about them from him. He'd probably already said too much.

Malfoy was silent for several moments before speaking again, that it was a command was obvious. "Go to sleep, Goyle."

"Going to sleep."

)

Lying on his side Scorpius absently played with the end of his ponytail, the strands still slightly damp. Damp because he'd spent nearly two hours soaking in the damn Prefects bath, trying to soothe his muscles enough so that he could walk a straight line in the morning. Grey eyes flashing in the darkness Scorpius forced himself not to think about why, even now, he ached. And not just for more sex either.

Shifting position he winced, cursing Potter under his breath. His body had not been prepared for those initial thrusts and the Gryffindor had been rough and unconcerned with taking things slow and easy. At the time the pain had interlaced with the pleasure, giving the sex a thrilling, erotic edge. But once the pleasure had worn off with Potter's leaving Scorpius had quickly become aware of the fact that he wasn't up to chasing after Potter and wringing the bastard's neck.

Unfortunately.

Wanting to distract himself Scorpius considered what Goyle had said about the difference between his physicality and Potter's. Not that he put much stock in Goyle's reasoning skills, but a second opinion was never a bad thing to consider in general. And if he closed his eyes Scorpius could see Potter's muscles gleaming, the sweat dripping along the ridges that had made up the man's sculpted six pack. Yes, he thought as he reflexively licked his lips, Potter was in superior physical shape.

He'd thought that would a problem, a turn off. He'd always been a breast man after all, and he'd never found himself looking over any man he'd ever seen without a shirt on. He might start paying attention now though.

Because it was the physical shape Potter had been in that had excited him the most, Scorpius mused, trying to put things into perspective so that he could understand why he could go from enjoying the company of women to desiring his own gender. All the women he'd taken to his bed had been purebloods, of his own social class and breeding. And he'd treated them as such even though he was not a gentle or very considerate person by nature. But one didn't mistreat women according to his own, personal code of ethics. Well unless that woman happened to be a Potter or a Weasley...then all bets were off.

But the women of his class were to be handled with care and taken care of. He'd always been in the dominate position, even with the few that were more experienced than himself. Sex with them had always been pleasurable but also predictable and occasionally work, with those who'd decided to sleep with him and then realized they'd have to actually get naked to do that. And he wasn't a fool, he knew some of them got into his bed with the hopes of using that fact at a later date when he was the sole heir to his mother's fortunes. That never bothered him since he'd slept with a number of them for his own personal gains as well.

Potter had been a whole other story. No one he'd ever been with had prepared him for what had happened when he'd gotten naked with that damn Gryffindor.

Albus Potter was physically stronger than he was and just as alpha apparently. And more importantly, the man was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Or perhaps more apt, Potter was a kitten in public and a lion in the sack. Scorpius had the marks to prove it.

During the foreplay he'd had the upper hand because Potter had let him, Scorpius concluded with no small amount of bitterness. Part of that had been nerves, he'd seen them clearly enough in the man's eyes, but part of it had been calculation as well. Potter hadn't wanted him to realize what he was dealing with until it was too late for him to do some planning and compensating of his own.

He hadn't stood a chance. And that would continue into the second round if he didn't figure out a way to combat Potter's physical superiority.

Because there would be a second round, Scorpius thought darkly.

And soon.

)

The next day Scorpius watched and waited for Potter, knowing where to wait for the Gryffindor. He didn't have to wait too long, and when he caught sight of his prey Scorpius could only marvel that the Potter walking down the hallway with his cousin was the same man who'd shagged him brainless the night before.

He looked so innocent, so sweet, so completely not the type to screw anyone's brains out.

And he was the only one that knew what sort of a man Potter really was.

And for a while, he was going to keep it that way.

Walking towards the two Scorpius saw awareness in Louis Weasley's eyes, making the Slytherin wonder just how much Potter had told his girlie cousin about the night before. Not much if Potter didn't want his best friend and cousin to end up six feet under.

And that was if they ever found the body.

"Looking for someone, Malfoy?" Al asked innocently, coming to a stop in front of the Slytherin. Nothing about his face or voice gave away what they'd done the night before. One would think absolutely nothing had changed about their antagonistic relationship.

"I just thought I'd walk to the Great Hall with you."

"And why would we want to walk with you?" Louis asked as innocently as his cousin, silently daring Scorpius to admit to anything.

There was a definite lash to his voice when Scorpius responded. "If you don't want to walk with me you can go on ahead, Weasley."

"Bite me, Malfoy."

"It's not you I intend to sink my teeth into."


	5. Fit To Be Tied

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters get put into. Thanks for reading this fic for so long, hope you enjoy the latest chapter and let me know what you think!

Fit To Be Tied

Scorpius's words hanging in the air Louis was the first of the two to recover, due largely to the fact that Al was too busy imagining all the places he'd like Scorpius to nibble on to speak. Scowling prettily at Scorpius Louis was not intimidated in the least by the look in the other man's eyes.

"If you think for one minute-."

Louis's warning was cut off as three members of his fan club came out of nowhere, two of them hooking their arms through each of his while the third gently pushed him from behind as they herded him off to see some surprise they'd apparently cooked up for him. Their happy chatter was so loud Al and Scorpius almost didn't hear Louis ordering Scorpius to behave as he was all but dragged around the corner.

Turning his attention back to Scorpius Al gave the man a mildly interested look. "Was there a specific area of my anatomy you wished to bite into?" He asked politely, as though he were inquiring something completely mundane.

"Your neck. To start with." He'd had to get up an hour earlier than normal so that he could get rid of the multiple hickies Potter had left all down his neck. He'd had to look up an appropriate spell, as he wasn't accustomed to having bruises to dispatch with.

Looking at Scorpius's throat Al wondered just how many hickies he'd left on the man's neck. He'd certainly sampled the beautiful, pale column plenty before the rest of Scorpius's body had distracted him.

Seeing where the Gryffindor's attentions were aimed Scorpius's eyes darkened. "Yours will look much, much worse."

"Is that a promise?" After casually looking around to make sure no one was nearby to comment Al moved closer so that his shoulder brushed up against Scorpius's as he looked into those fierce grey eyes. "Because actually, Malfoy after last night my faith in your prowess is fading. And that was really all you ever had going for you."

Eyes narrowing ever so slightly Scorpius forced himself not to react as he lowered his head to place his lips against the shell of the other man's ear. "I thought my appeal to you was in my face...and bitchin body...wasn't it?"

Unable to help himself, having so recently let his bad boy out to play, Al's eyes twinkled mischievously as he all but purred back, "True...but judging from the way you're walking, I think that your bitchin body isn't up to playing with mine."

It was lucky for the both of them that there were now a couple people close enough to overhear.

Good for him because Scorpius's didn't want witnesses who could point their fingers in his direction when he did eventually kill the smug bastard at his right. And Scorpius wasn't done with Potter either, not by a long shot. The Gryffindor had to live a little longer, unfortunately.

While Scorpius gave him death glares Al simply kept his face blank, not wanting to reveal for a moment the mixed feelings he had about the fact that Scorpius was obviously working at walking without a hitch. No one would call the man's walk awkward, but it wasn't his usual, long legged stride either. And Al didn't have to wonder just why that was.

On the one hand it excited him, because it made him think about what they'd done together that had Scorpius so focused on walking a straight line. But on the other hand, Al regretted hurting the other man, even though he knew if the situation were reversed Scorpius wouldn't feel an ounce of guilt. But he wasn't a Malfoy; he didn't find the idea of hurting another human being, even an enemy, appealing. He hadn't done it on purpose; he'd simply been incapable of holding himself in check when he'd seized his chance to take control. His instinct was to apologize for being too rough, but that would likely get him killed, Al thought as he watched their possible eavesdroppers move on ahead of them.

As soon as they were once again out of earshot Scorpius spoke in a low, threatening hiss. "You're going to be very, very sorry you said that."

Turning his attention back to the Slytherin Al's heart began to race, dark anticipation brewing as he saw the look that was now in his enemy's eyes. It was the same look the man had had in his eyes the night before, when he'd thought he was about to win their battle for supremacy. But just how did Scorpius think to gain mastery over someone so much stronger than him? He was straining at the bit to find out.

But he'd be damned if he'd let Malfoy see his excitement and desire. "I've heard that from you before. But then you Malfoys' tend to be all talk when it comes to us Potters."

"Be at the room tonight after dinner again and find out." Malfoy challenged, his eyes just daring the Gryffindor to back out.

"We're both busy tonight." Seeing that Scorpius had no idea what he referred to Al reminded him with a knowing smile. "You're on prefect duty tonight, remember? You're slithering around your side of the castle and I'm prowling mine."

He had forgotten, Scorpius silently acknowledged, which wasn't like him. Just another reason he needed to put the other man in his place and under his thumb. Potter was just too damn distracting otherwise.

"Good thing you're Head Boy then. Make someone else cover for us."

Al was shaking his head before Scorpius had even finished the order. "I'm not wasting my time trying to rearrange the schedules when I don't have to. You're not worth that headache." He added with a careless shrug, trying to project a disinterested facade. He wasn't about to risk walking into one of Scorpius's traps unaware and the man always had a plan, however stupid.

"You can't say you don't want more." Scorpius challenged, his voice only slightly above a whisper as they approached the end of their present hallway, which converged with the main hallway that would shortly see them surrounded by the rest of the school's population.

"Sorry. Been there, done that, had the orgasm, thanks."

And stepping into the main hallway Al looked over his shoulder just long enough to wink before converging into the crowd, immediately being swallowed up as his friends moved to walk with him, completely unaware of the danger their friend had just left behind.

)

Luck was in Scorpius's favour. The sixth year Slytherin he'd been assigned to patrol with had no problem with Scorpius cutting out thirty minutes before their shift ended. The money he'd slipped the other man helped, Scorpius thought cynically as he headed through the hallways, invisible to the naked eye.

He made good time and found Potter patrolling with a fifth year Hufflepuff on the second floor. The two seemed very friendly, chatting away without an apparent care in the world. The Hufflepuff's hero worship was apparent even from a distance and Scorpius would have disliked the little prick for that alone, Hufflepuff or not.

Briefly considering attacking now Scorpius decided to wait, not being in a hurry as he came up behind them, silently trailing behind them.

He hadn't been there for more then two minutes before he became aware that Potter was aware of him. The Gryffindor's body language gave it away, that he was aware they were being watched but didn't know where the eyes came from. Or why. But the man was now walking slightly behind the Hufflepuff, partially shielding the git with his body. He was also paying some attention to the armour, trying to get a reflective surface view of whatever was behind them. Smart little twit, Scorpius thought reluctantly.

When they'd walked clear across the open hallway Potter dismissed the Hufflepuff for the night, telling the boy to go back to his dorms and finish his Transfiguration homework, that he would finish up by himself. The Hufflepuff didn't want to, but Potter was able to talk him into it. Watching the kid walk off Scorpius could only shake his head over the Potter problem of constantly dismissing the shields of those too stupid to realize they were highly expendable in the first place. No, Potters always had to be too good and noble to ask others to die in their place.

The morons.

And then they were alone and Scorpius didn't give the Gryffindor time to draw his wand. Raising his own Scorpius used a handy little spell that rendered its target unconscious and then transfigured the other man's prone body into a figurine that easily fit in his robe pocket.

Whistling a merry tune under his breath Scorpius headed for the Room of Requirement.

Once there Scorpius laid the figurine on the bed he'd requested and undid his transfiguration so that his target was once again looking like himself though still out of it. For the moment. Getting on the bed too Scorpius straddled the Gryffindor, watching the man's face for signs of waking while his fingers undid the knot of his tie.

The tie now dangling around his neck Scorpius grabbed each of Al's arms and positioned them so that they lay above their owner's head. Then removing the tie from his neck Scorpius went to work insuring that Potter wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. And he definitely wouldn't be using his physical strength to his advantage either, Scorpius thought darkly as he tied Al's wrists tighter than was necessary.

Methodically Scorpius undid the other man's tie, ditching it over the side of the bed without a care. Unbuttoning the shirt Scorpius simply pushed the material and Al's robes away from the man's chest. The Gryffindor's trousers, boxers, shoes and socks joined the tie on the floor.

When the clothing he wished to dispense was all removed Scorpius, still fully dressed sans tie, decided to take a minute to appreciate the view before he woke his unknowing captive. A feral, cat that got the cream grin on his face Scorpius looked his fill at the body of the man he'd captured through his own brains, not having to resort to physical strength like the lesser Gryffindor. And before he was done he was going to make all those impressive, honed muscles quiver and turn to putty.

Retrieving his wand Scorpius undid the spell, watching Al's eyes flutter, eager for that moment when the other man realized his situation.

)

Eyes fluttering open Al's eyes met Scorpius's automatically, knowing instinctively that that was where the danger would come from. The look in the man's eyes said it all. His hands were tied above his head, and he was on a bed with the lower half of his clothing missing. Not that his shirt or robes would be getting in the other man's way.

Forcing his eyes not to give anything away Al met Scorpius's gaze without flinching as he mentally evaluated what he could and couldn't do about his situation. Whatever had been used to tie his hands felt like silk, and the material didn't feel thick and most of it was around his wrists. It would likely take painful effort, but he was pretty sure he could rip the material if he needed to. He was even stronger than Scorpius realized, pinning the Slytherin hadn't taken that much on his part. That was in his favour.

And knowing that he could be free if he chose gave Al the courage to relax and act unruffled about his current, unprecedented position. "Do you have to tie up all your partners after the first night?" He inquired, the unspoken message being that Malfoy was so bad in bed he'd need to tie them up to keep them around.

Instead of answering Scorpius leaned forward, braced his hands on either side of Al's head, and bit the Gryffindor's neck, sucking hard on the imprint he left as a result.

Raising his head Scorpius's licked his lips. "Normally I'd say you should brace yourself, but that really isn't an option for you."

Al soon wished desperately that he did have something to brace himself with as his body was ravaged by a Slytherin on a mission. As he'd proven the night before Scorpius knew how to drive a man crazy with pleasure, and being unable to do anything about it just made it that much more erotic and thrilling for him. It was like thousands of ants were crawling through his system, fire ants that kindled small blazes all over his body that only grew the longer he was touched. Scorpius was only using his fingers and mouth, but that was more than enough as they moved around the Gryffindor's neck and chest, sensitizing both areas so that the slightest touch had him shuddering with the pleasure. By the time Scorpius's tongue was encircling his belly button Al was ready to whimper for more as he arched into the caress.

Taking pleasure in every groan and moan that escaped the Gryffindor's swollen lips Scorpius raised his head with a devious grin. "You like?"

"I'm not complaining. Yet." He was going to if the man didn't keep going though.

"You're going to be when I tell you I'm not taking you until you beg me to."

Al's eyes narrowed at the word beg. "What?"

Dragging a single finger along Potter's thigh Scorpius's eyes said clearly that Al hadn't misunderstood. "You heard me. You want me to get you off and let you go...you have to beg."

Green eyes darkening and freezing over Al glared down at the Slytherin. "It will be a cold day in hell when I beg you for anything."

"We'll just see about that."

)

And they did. Scorpius went all out, exploiting every weakness he'd learned about the man's body so that Al had to bite down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. But barely a sound escaped Al's lips no matter what Scorpius did, the Gryffindor's determination ironclad. Even when Scorpius's head lowered to place kisses along the inside of Al's thighs, he held firm.

Unable not to arch with the pleasure Al's eyes closed as he fought back his physical reaction to the feelings Scorpius was eliciting. Torn, there was nothing that he wanted more than for Scorpius to take him into his mouth, knowing that that would be all it would take for him to come to what was sure to be a mind blowing climax. But if Scorpius only toyed with his erection Al was pretty sure he might, most probably, beg for more. And he'd never be able to look any member of his family in the eye if he let a Malfoy reduce him to begging for anything.

But while Scorpius's mouth and hands came perilously close to his erection he made no effort to do anything with it.

Squirming with need it took all of Al's stubbornness to keep quiet. Luckily he was used to be sexually frustrated, Al thought with very dark humour. Of course in this case his hands were literally tied and therefore he couldn't take care of his pleasure himself as he would have normally. That was new.

Frustrated out of his mind as well Scorpius looked up at Al, not at all pleased that the other man was able to keep himself so thoroughly in check. He would have been begging by now. And that just pissed him off even more. And the bastard was so close to coming that he was afraid to do much more.

So he sat up and dared Al with his eyes to not ask for more.

Eyes opening to half mast Al glared at Scorpius, panting hard as his body screamed for the release he was so cruelly being denied. But he would not beg, Al thought fiercely, even if the man could almost make his eyes roll back in his head. He'd die from the frustration first.

And he held on to that thought with everything he had as the need slowly died, then built up again when Scorpius began to tease him once more, nibbling on Al's neck.

Getting desperate as well Al could feel the pleas welling up in his throat, choking them back as desperately as he wanted Scorpius. More, more, must have more, Al's system screamed, so hard he could hardly think straight.

Knowing in his gut he was about to break Al tried to come up with some way to save himself. If only his hands were free than everything, than everything would be okay. If his hands were free...

An idea occurring to him out of nowhere Al suddenly grinned fiercely, now very thankful that he was so close to coming. If he wasn't this would never work so easily.

Closing his eyes Al visualized what he wanted Scorpius to do most, imagining the Slytherin licking his erection before taking it into his mouth, the feel of Scorpius's tongue sliding along his shaft the greatest pleasure Al could imagine. Just the thought of the other man working him over was enough to send him over the edge.

Eyes narrowing Scorpius paused, dead sure that it wasn't his lips on the other man's shoulder that was making the Gryffindor shudder and groan all of a sudden. Lifting his head Scorpius watched the man shake and tense up, Potter's hips arching and grinding against his own frantically. But that wasn't what had the man ready to get off.

And then Al climaxed fast and hard, crying out with his release as he fell back against the bed sheets.

And when he was up to it Al opened his eyes and grinned in triumph at his pissed off enemy. "I win."


	6. A Flawed Plan

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

A Flawed Plan

Breaking under the strain of holding himself back Scorpius shoved down his own trousers and boxers, taking Al's body without a hint of consideration and quite a bit of desperation. But the Gryffindor's body was more than ready to take him and Al put up no protest as Scorpius took control of his body and thrusted inside him. He just laid back and enjoyed the ride, their eyes meeting and holding until Scorpius came inside him with a curse.

Rolling off the other man as soon as he was able Scorpius glared up at the canopy, blocking out the other man's presence as he mentally cursed a blue streak. He'd done the taking, but only because Potter had allowed it. He hadn't had the control. Again.

Knowing better than to push the man any further Al just closed his eyes and savored the win in smug silence. That he'd been a scream away from begging just made the victory that much sweeter. It was like being neck and neck in a Quidditch game and then catching the snitch just before the other Seeker. Maybe even better.

And now that the sexual buzz was wearing off into contentment Al became painfully aware that his bound arms were really starting to cramp up. Shifting around the Gryffindor just couldn't get comfortable, and he turned his head to look at his bed partner in silent question as to when the man was going to get around to turning him loose.

Refusing to meet the questioning gaze Scorpius tried to take some pleasure in the fact that the jerk had to be really, really uncomfortable at the moment.

After a good fifteen minutes Al finally broke down. "Are you planning on letting me go any time soon? It has to be pretty late."

Silently acknowledging the truth of that statement Scorpius sat up, turning his head to finally meet the other man's gaze. Then his gaze travelled up to study the man's bound hands for what seemed like a very long time before he turned his attentions back to Al. The look in his eyes was not a kind one.

"You're right." Scorpius said slowly, a downright evil grin crossing his lips. "I really should be going."

Al didn't have to be a mind reader to guess just what the Slytherin intended to do as the man got out of bed to return his clothing to their proper order. "You're going to leave me here?" Al demanded as he watched Scorpius finish and walk across the room without a care in the world. "Why you…bastard!"

"Have fun explaining this to whoever finds you."

The door closing with a thud Al indulged himself in some serious swearing, many of the four letter words being of the sort that would shock the hell out of anyone who thought they knew him well. But they were warranted as far as he was concerned.

Once he'd gotten that out of his system Al turned his attention to his immediate predicament.

He was going to have to break out of his bounds after all. Resigned to straining his already painfully cramped muscles Al sent a mental pray to the powers that be that the spindle Scorpius had used on the bed frame was a thin one, just in case the material held. Muscles bunched Al was about to yank when a thought occurred to him.

His whole body shaking with laughter Al couldn't believe how stupid both he and Scorpius were. How could they both be top students if they couldn't see the huge, obvious flaw in Malfoy's little plan. Though the Slytherin was dumber, Al decided, since it had been the moron's plan in the first place.

A smirk on his face Al simply closed his eyes and asked the room to remove the bed. And just like that, his ass hit the ground with a painful thud.

"Oww." He would have rubbed his butt if he'd been able.

Groaning at the pain it caused Al's brought his arms around and down, bending them so that his bound wrists were up against his lips. Using his teeth Al pulled and yanked on the ends of the knotted material until the slim silk gave away, loosening enough that he could get free.

Letting the material fall to the ground Al rubbed circulation back into his bruised wrists, thinking that if he didn't do something the marks were going to be very noticeable. Then again…studying them Al thought that maybe he'd keep them the way they were for a few days. He'd have to be careful not to let anyone else see them…but they'd serve as a good reminder to keep his guard up at all times. The damn Slytherin had gotten him good and he could be in a lot worse shape all things considering.

Thank the powers that be that Malfoy wasn't the S & M type.

Or maybe he was and was just building up to something more kinky, Al thought as he picked up the material that had been used to bind him. That could be both interesting and very disturbing.

Raising an eyebrow as he took in the fact that he was looking at a Slytherin necktie Al suddenly remembered that Scorpius hadn't been wearing a tie when he'd left. Guess that was why.

Lips twitching Al tossed the tie back onto the floor and went over to retrieve his own, scattered clothing. Getting dressed with some difficulty Al decided that being tied up had some drawbacks he'd never considered. His arms and wrists were killing him.

Shaking them to get feeling back in them Al started to leave and then stopped, turning his head to glance in the direction of the tie he'd left lying on the floor. Not knowing quite why, Al found himself walking back over to the tie, picking it up and shoving it into his robe pocket before leaving.

Heading out he hadn't gone far when he heard the sound of loud footsteps from below him. Turning his head Al couldn't keep from grinning as he looked down and met Scorpius's furious gaze. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd realized the plan's flaw.

"I see you figured out the flaw." Scorpius said slowly, looking up at the man leaning so casually against the stair banister. Other than the fact that the man's hair was messier than normal you'd never know what the innocent looking Gryffindor had been up to. Why that should be both hot and annoying was beyond him at the moment. All he did know was that he hated the fact that the other man knew even more about the damn Room of Requirement than he did.

Struggling to get his grinning under control Al casually shrugged his shoulders. "I did."

Doing his best not to let his annoyance show Scorpius tried to act just as casual about the whole thing. "Well did you at least bring my tie with you?" He hadn't thought of that either when he'd left the room with the smug smirk he'd long since lost. Damn it.

"I didn't grab it." Al lied, sticking his hands in his robe pockets. Fingers wrapping around the length of fabric Al knew better than to try a game of keep away in the mood the Malfoy was in. "It probably ended up in the room where everyone's junk does." He added dryly.

"Crap. Wait…didn't my father's stupid stooge Crabbe burn that part of the room down with Fiendfyre?"

"No, I checked when I got here. Major scorch marks, and there's barely anything in there now, but it still stands." Just one more reminder of how getting involved with Slytherins could get you burned, Al thought with more than a little bad humor.

"Good to know." Damn, he'd have to buy a new tie now. Just one more black mark on Potter's list of transgressions worth killing him for, Scorpius thought to himself.

"Well I should be going, and so should you. See you in The Room of Requirement tomorrow night?"

Blinking in surprise Scorpius raised his eyebrows in response to the Gryffindor's oh so casual invitation. "You want to meet me there tomorrow night?" After what he'd done?

"I'm not busy. Are you?"

"No…" And he was never, ever, in a million years going to understand Al Potter, Scorpius thought as the man continued to smile at him.

"Then see you there."

Wiggling his fingers in a teasing farewell Al kept going up the stairs, his pains forgotten as he whistled a merry tune under his breath. He'd think of a plan once he got back to his room. It was going to have to be a doozy too.

)

After that encounter Scorpius and Al met in the Room of Requirement almost every night after dinner by mutual understanding. If one didn't show up than the other left and came the next night if he felt like it after being stood up. Neither was interested in standing the other up though, as both were rapidly finding themselves addicted to the regular, mind-blowingly good sex.

Their second night was never mentioned after that meeting on the stairs. Al was too smart to push that particular victory in the Slytherin's face and Scorpius was still too pissed off to risk killing the other man in a fit of rage. He was peeved off as it was, because Potter definitely had the upper hand in their…relationship.

Scorpius didn't know if the Gryffindor was humoring him or just didn't care, but after the second night Potter let him have the top position without much of a struggle. The first time anyway. As it turned out, Potter liked to go for a second round whenever there was enough time. There always seemed to be just enough time somehow. And since he himself didn't recover as fast as Potter…well then he found himself on the bottom and ravished, which evened things up so that he never really had any seniority.

On one such night, three weeks after they'd become bed partners, Scorpius lay limp and satisfied, his ears ringing as tried to regulate his shallow breathing. Potter was going to be the death of him, the Slytherin thought weakly, panting hard as his lungs overexerted themselves.

But what a way to go.

And thoughts like that had no place in his mind. Scorpius was annoyed as hell with himself and the fact that he knew he was making no progress in his plan to control and corrupt the man panting for air beside him. They were certainly having amazing sex, but he had a feeling that Potter could easily leave him for dead without even looking back. He was just a convenient lay, and that wasn't going to get him anywhere, unfortunately. And since the sex was apparently not going to be enough Scorpius knew he was going to have to use other techniques as well to get what he wanted.

That in mind Scorpius turned his head, intending to try and use some logic on the other man. After all, he was smarter than Potter, he reasoned. Surely he could charm the other man into at least considering things that were really common sense now that he thought about it. "Potter…I have a question for you…"

"Give me another fifteen and we might have time for another go."

…Another go...

Jaw dropping Scorpius gapped at the man like a landed fish. Another go? Was he serious? Three times? Already? And here he was, barely able to breath and the bastard was up to going again. What the hell?

Sensing he was missing something Al turned his head and opened his eyes to half mast, a smile twitching on his lips as he took in the Slytherin's shocked expression. Struggling to hide his amusement Al gave the man a questioning, innocent look. "I take it that wasn't the question. What did you want to know?"

It took Scorpius a lot longer than it should have to recover enough poise to answer. "I was just wondering…three times already?" He blurted out, unable not to.

The smile was impossible to suppress now. "Maybe fifteen was pushing it." Though not by much, Al thought as he admired the Slytherin's long, lackey form, which was just covered by the bed sheet. It seemed that recently he was never too tired to want to get his hands all over it. And never stopped wanting to, which could become a real problem. But he was in control of his mind, he would get his hormones under control too, Al silently reassured himself, before turning his attention to finding out what the Slytherin had wanted to talk about. "Now what did you mean to ask?"

Forcing himself to focus Scorpius tried not to give anything away as he asked his question. "Well I was just wondering…I heard somewhere that your father's original guardians were Muggles. And that they were rather nasty too. Is that true?"

Al took a moment to try to figure out how they'd gone from discussing sex to his father. Talk about your mood killer. Fifteen minutes was definitely not enough recovery time now, Al thought with a rueful smile as he answered the question, rolling over onto his stomach as he did so. "Whoever you heard that from was correct. They are Muggles, and my father's aunt and uncle are not nice people. Thankfully I've only met them a handful of times."

Reaching out Scorpius trailed a finger down the Gryffindor's spine. "Then out of curiosity…why do you think your father fought so hard for a race that did nothing but make his life miserable?"

Figuring out where this was going Al hid his realization skillfully as he answered nonchalantly. "For the same reason he would have died for your grandfather's house elf despite the fact that his godfather's house elf caused Sirius's death. My father's a smart man, Malfoy. He knows better than to judge a whole race by the actions of one or two."

Scorpius's gaze was skeptical. "Your father would have died for that house elf he set free in his second year?" He'd heard all about that, his grandfather had ranted about it plenty. But a wizard...dying for a house elf? Why?

"He would have." Al didn't have a doubt in his mind. "He still feels guilty that Dobby was killed helping him. And since you're trying to argue that you're right to hate Muggles let me ask you a question. When has your life ever been negatively affected by a Muggle? I mean you personally. And don't say losing your family wealth and such because that was due to your grandfather and father's actions, not a Muggle's."

"Your grandmother, and therefore your father, came into the world because of Muggles."

And because they had been born he had been born. The Slytherin didn't have to say it for Al to know it. And not showing the unexpected hurt that caused was harder than it should have been. Not a good sign, Al thought with a twinge of worry as he spoke again. "Other than that?"

Scorpius listed several things, like the fact that magic wasn't taught early and before school for fear of a child performing the magic in front of Muggles. Or the fact that he couldn't fly around on his broom at home without worrying about hitting a low flying mode of transportation or being seen. He also pointed out the fact that Muggles took up a lot of space, and that wizards were forced to live and work around them despite being the stronger race. And since he knew the Gryffindor was an animal lover, Scorpius also pointed out the fact that their magical creatures were confined and restricted more than they should be because of the fear of them interacting with Muggles accidentally.

Not surprised, having heard the arguments before, Al had a rebuttal for everything the Slytherin mentioned. "Children shouldn't be taught magic too early because it's too easy for them to lose control anyway. Better they lose control without knowing spells that could increase the damage and life threatening injuries. As for the flying, I doubt very much you care about that. You're a Chaser but I'd be pretty damn surprised if you actually practiced at home. You barely show up to your team practices as it is. You only play the game because you want to try and beat me at something consider my family sport. Thirdly, even if you somehow managed to subjugate the entire Muggle race you'd still have to kill them all to get their space. Even you, I hope, would think badly of the idea of committing mass genocide against several billion people. And for that matter, since your family is big on real estate, you know you could all simply buy the land from the Muggles if you want it that badly."

Annoyed, Scorpius pointed out that the Gryffindor had neglected to justify the animal restrictions. He didn't like that he couldn't refute that last part. While he wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of killing…those kind of numbers…the women and children… What would they do with all those Muggles once they got them under control? Could they really control those kinds of numbers?

"Can you honestly look me in the eye and say that you or your kind care about any species other than your own? And even your own kind has to meet certain requirements for you to like them." Al pointed out. "The land wouldn't go to protecting the animals and non human species. It would go to the people who helped enslave their fellow men in the first place. Last time your people were in power they made it quite clear that no one but your ranks are better off with your anti laws in place."

"You make it sound like we're two different species."

Reaching out Al trailed a finger down Scorpius's cheek, a strange look in his deep green eyes. "At heart…maybe we are."


	7. GreenEye

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and those someones have very scary lawyers. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

GreenEye

Walking down the hallway and onto the stairs the next day Scorpius couldn't forget what Potter had said about them being two species at heart. And what did that even mean? And why did it bug him so much? Tightening his grip on the shoulder strap of his school bag Scorpius didn't know if he wanted to question the man about it further or not. After Potter had made that comment he'd got up and left, all thoughts of a third go apparently forgotten. And so he'd be left the Room of Requirement with a very bad feeling that he'd crossed the sort of line that could get him banned from the Gryffindor's bed. And he sure as hell wasn't ready for that to happen yet.

But how could they be two different species at heart? Had the moron had a heart transplant he hadn't heard about? Because technically that was the only explanation, and even that was only possible if they'd used a heart from something not human.

So deep in thought was he that Scorpius didn't see Sasha Gardener until it was too late. His occasional lay came out of nowhere, throwing her arms around his neck as she drew his head down for a quick round of tonsil hockey.

Strangely enough, he didn't feel like playing.

Letting her have her way out of habit Scorpius was glad when she let him lose, that gladness dying a quick death when he realized the reason why.

"Mind letting us through?" Al asked, Louis scowling at his side.

"You're just jealous I'd never snog a Gryffindor, Potter." The Slytherin girl sneered, adding extra contempt since Scorpius was there as she wrapped her arms around her fellow Slytherin's waist.

"If I wanted to be snogged like that I'd get a dog."

And while everyone in hearing distance gasped at what Al had just said the Gryffindor stepped around the two and slid by, continuing down the stairs without looking back.

So great was the red haze in front of his eyes that Al didn't even see Lysander until it was too late. The two colliding with a thud the Ravenclaw went teetering backwards, the weight of the man's enormous book bag preventing him from regaining his balance. Reaching out Al had only enough time to yank his childhood friend up against him before they were both rolling down two flights of stairs, Al tucking Lysander's head under his as he did his best to take the major hits.

Finally they hit the ground floor and stayed sprawled there, Al on the bottom.

Raising his head Lysander stared down at Al in horror, straddling the other man as he placed a hand on either side of his friend's head. "Al? Al? Speak to me, Al!"

"Ow."

"Thank goodness. You're alive. I didn't even see you coming. Were you taken over by a Wrackspurt? It's not like you to be clumsy like me."

And that was the irony. That was not the first time his friend had fallen down a couple flights of stairs. Lysander was a certified genius when it came to book smarts, but when it came to common sense and being aware of his surroundings…well that was a whole other story. Al hated to even think about all the times he and Lysander's twin had had to risk life and limb to rescue the other man from his own cluelessness.

Seeing the crowd forming around them Al decided the sooner he got up the better. Especially since one of the people converging on them was Malfoy.

"Don't even try to get up until I check you for injuries. I've seen Lorcan do it a million times."

"What have I done a million times?" Lorcan, Lysander's twin asked as he managed to squeeze out of the crowd so that he could kneel down beside the two. He'd sensed that his brother was in trouble and lo and behold, he thought wryly. If he had to give Al a galleon for every time the Gryffindor had saved Lysander from disaster the other man would be a wealthier than anyone he knew.

"Oh. Good. Can you help me check Al for broken bones?"

"Ah, yeah, I have had to do that a million times, haven't I?" Was Lorcan's dry response as he went to work running his hands over Al's left arm, Lysander doing the same to Al's right while Louis moved in to supervise the younger twin's work.

Standing off to the side Scorpius watched all this with a very unfamiliar feeling coursing through him, causing his hands to fist automatically at his sides. He didn't like it. He didn't like them touching Potter that way, he realized as he watched the older twin place his hands under the Gryffindor's robes, pressing them up against the man's sides. The younger one was still straddling the Gryffindor too, apparently thinking that would keep Potter in place until the older was done playing healer.

Finally the twin with some sense pronounced that Al could get up and together the two helped Al get slowly to his feet, Lysander holding Al up by his elbows while Lorcan got behind so that if the Gryffindor teetered back he'd be there to catch him. But Al stayed steady and painfully on his feet.

Watching the stupid twin brush off Potter's dirty shirt and robes Scorpius's eyes narrowed, his nails digging into his palms painfully. Why did they have to touch him so much? Why didn't they realize that they had no business putting their hands on him? Potter was his and his alone to touch. Of course rationally Potter would never be interested -and then Scorpius realized what bothered him about them so much.

The twins. They were both blondes with longish, usually tied back hair. Their eyes were pale and their builds were similar to his. And Potter HAD said he was only liked his face and so called bitchin body. Potter actually liked the twins.

And there were two of them. Who didn't dream about scoring with identical twins?

Lorcan's next words didn't help Scorpius's mood or suspicions in the least.

"Let's get you to the Medical Wing so I can look you over without your shirt in the way. You're sure to have bruises that need tending anyway."

Yup…that definitely did not improve the Slytherin's mood a bit.

)

By the time he arrived for his last class, Care of Magical Creatures, Al was ready for a long, hot bath and then bed. He didn't give a damn about dinner and if one more person asked him how he was he was going to scream.

Doing his best to keep his pain hidden Al was more grateful than he could say when Hagrid asked them to pair off to look at the various animals he had tied up in the clearing. Walking stiffly over to one of them Al was never so thankful that there weren't many seventh years remotely interested in taking Hagrid's class all the way through to the end.

When someone came to stand beside him Al was relieved when he saw who it was. "Hey."

"Hey." Rorake Goyle returned, holding out his notebook silently to show the Gryffindor. While their professor had been going on one of his rants about why the creatures they were studying were underappreciated and misunderstood he'd been doing side by sketches featuring the creature in front of them and the one they'd studied last class which was a cousin to the ugly thing in front of them. They were both darn ugly in his opinion which was why he didn't care for once that they were going to have to ruin one of his drawings with labels.

"Damn you're good." Studying the drawings with envy and relief Al smiled at the Slytherin before holding out his hand to take the notebook. "I'll label."

While the Gryffindor labeled the drawings for them Rorake pretended to study the ugly Gagent. Really, he could have cared less. He liked animals in general, but these were just nasty. He'd only come over to be the other man's partner because he sensed that Al was getting damn tired of being fussed over and he was the only Slytherin in the class. No one from the other houses would approach him unless Al called for help.

Though only his mother knew it he and Al Potter were friends. Rorake wasn't ashamed or embarrassed about that, he simply wasn't ready to be thrown out of his family for it. And his mother was pretty damn sure that that was what was in store for her only child when his father finally clued into the fact that he had no intention of walking in his old man's footsteps. But as soon as school was over and he could start making a living off his drawings Rorake had every intention of owing up to the fact that he'd graduate from Hogwarts with decent marks because of Al and that they were mates.

The shit would really hit the fan then.

"Hey, Rory." Al began in a low voice, just in case anyone was trying to eavesdrop. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Shoving his hands in his pockets Rorake gave a Hufflepuff looking in their direction a sharp look, the other man immediately looking away. Because of his size and bulk people generally avoided him like dragon pox. Rorake frequently took advantage of this.

"Do you think, with the right motivation, Malfoy could ever be a good person?"

"I doubt it."

Rory was a very blunt person. Al couldn't help but press the issue. "Why not?"

Rorake gave Al a questioning look. "Why not? You should know as well as I do that he wants to be his grandfather. And Lucius wouldn't know good if we gave him a dictionary to look it up in. For that matter, look up bad in that dictionary and you might find a footnote linking it to their name."

Snickering at the thought Al felt his mood improve a little despite himself. "So you think history is doomed to repeat itself with him?"

"My granddad says he's just like Lucius when he was Scorpius's age. Though he did say that he sees some Black in him too, whatever that means. Malfoys and Blacks are pretty similar."

"Not really." It was Al's turn to elaborate when his friend gave him a questioning look. "I mean yeah, they both have superiority complexes beyond belief, and dark tendencies, but there's a major difference between being a Black and being a Malfoy."

"Which is?"

"Malfoys are followers. They don't do well when there isn't someone giving them orders to follow. Bad things happen to them when they try and think for themselves. Blacks…Blacks don't do anything unless it benefits them and they want to do it. Trying to make a Black obey you is like trying to convince Hagrid that the deadliest creatures aren't the most lovable. In my experience, if a Black wants to do or think something they do it and tell everyone who doesn't like it to get f'd."

Rorake had to admit Al had a point. He'd never met a Black other than Scorpius's grandmother but even she had struck him as smarter and more dangerous than her husband. Narcissa Black Malfoy had looked the Dark Lord in the eye and lied after all. If that didn't show she had balls of steel than Rorake didn't know what did. She'd wanted to get into the castle to find her son and damn if she hadn't gotten her way and lived to tell about it.

"So you think that if Scorpius could be convinced he'd be happier behaving that he would?"

Al thought about that for a moment. "Well no…but it would be nice if that were the case, wouldn't it?"

Rorake shrugged, not about to admit how nice that really would be. But he'd long ago accepted that his friendship with Scorpius had deteriorated to the point where he wasn't sure they could even be called friends anymore. If Scorpius had ever even thought of him that way and not as a stooge in training.

But it would be nice. It would be.

The two lapsing into comfortable silence Al suddenly snickered, drawing Rorake attention back to him. "What?"

"I just realized…if he's Bond than that makes you Alec. Or should I say Janus."

"I have no idea what that means."

"You don't want to either." Al answered with a wink. "Trust me."

)

Sitting at the Slytherin table Scorpius was in a truly foul mood. Everyone was talking about the stairs incident and everyone from the other houses seemed to feel it necessary to stop by the Gryffindor table to fuss over Potter and ask how he was doing. And he had to hand it to the man, falling down the stairs had been a great way to insure that everyone forgot that he'd said something mean to someone. As far as Scorpius's could tell no one outside their house now believe Sasha about what Potter had said to her, and even they were skeptical. Anyone from any of the other houses had either forgotten with all the drama or were sure they'd misheard him somehow. Potter never had a mean thing to say about anyone, or at least not aloud. That seeing Sasha snog him might have broken through Potter's shields had yet to occur to Scorpius, so he was also pissed at being at a loss as to the other man's actions. Add thoughts of the twins to the mix and the Slytherin was more than ready to detonate and take his table with him.

And as he covertly watched Potter throughout the meal Scorpius wasn't surprised when the man got up before dessert was served and headed out to leave.

Waiting until the other man was almost at the door Scorpius got up to and made his excuses, staying close to the wall as he headed down the aisle and after the Gryffindor. And as soon as the large hall door closed behind him Scorpius went invisible and took off in the direction he just knew the Gryffindor had been heading in.

Catching up with Potter easily, since the man wasn't exactly up to moving fast, Scorpius remained a good distance behind until they entered the hallway that would take the man to his intended destination. Hoping desperately that Potter was too distracted by the pain to sense him Scorpius moved in, managing to slip into the room behind the man without obviously being noticed. Rather than push it Scorpius remained by the door while he watched the Gryffindor walk further into the Prefects Bathroom, towards the chair set out for them to place things upon.

Keeping close to the wall Scorpius watched as the Gryffindor took a seat, carefully bending forward with a groan so that he could dispatch with his shoes and socks, tucking them under the chair before getting back to his feet with slow precision. Pulling off his robes the man draped the heavy material over the back of the chair, absently rolling his shoulders to relieve the tension there.

Going to work on his tie Al cursed the fact that he had let Louis bully him into going to dinner at all. The sitting had done things to his back and shoulders that made him want to whimper like an abandoned puppy. Madam Pomfrey had given him something to take, but had warned him that it would put him out within thirty minutes of taking it. He had homework to finish, so the bath would have to suffice until he no longer had anything that needed taking care of before bedtime.

Discarding the tie on the chair's seat Al went to work on the shirt buttons, wincing with a great deal of pain when it came time to slide the shirt off his back. Praying that the worst was over Al tossed the shirt onto the chair and went to work undoing his belt with a muffled curse.

Studying the Gryffindor's naked back Scorpius saw no signs that the man's smooth, tanned skin had suffered repeat contact with pointed stairs, but that told him nothing. Bruising wasn't hard to deal with or disguise in the Magical World. But under the surface, yes, Potter was definitely not going to be up to any fun later, which was the reason he'd sought the other man out in the first place. He didn't want to waste time waiting around for the man to come if he wasn't going to after all, Scorpius reasoned, not taking his eyes off the other man bare, perfect back for a moment.

While he watched Potter undid his trousers and pushed both the trousers and his boxers down his thighs, allowing them to slide down his body to puddle at his feet. Stepping out of them the Gryffindor casually shoved the material away with his foot and then walking over to the edge of the tub turned and took a seat, slowly turning his body until he could simply slide into the waiting bath water with an echoing moan of relief.


	8. Not The Sharing Type

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Not The Sharing Type

Al slid under the water and stayed under for a long time, coming up to the surface only when his lungs threatened to burst. Standing up with the water sluicing off his body Al froze, his survival instincts sensing an unknown threat in the room with him. Turning slowly Al raised an eyebrow at the sight of Scorpius leaning oh so casually against a nearby pillar.

Blinking the remaining water out of his eyes Al met the man's gaze. "You know, spying on someone in the bath is a little creepy. Even for a Malfoy."

"You have nothing I haven't seen before as you'll recall." Scorpius pointed out as he straightened up, watching the water and bubbles slide down the Gryffindor's body to rejoin the rest of water. "And it's a little late for modesty." Though he did enjoy watching the way the bath water clung so lovingly to the man's body.

"Am I covering myself?" Al pointed out, walking over to stand against the tub's edge. Actually, covering himself was exactly what he wanted to do, but sheer pride had him keeping his hands at his sides. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure if you've already seen all I have to offer? Or were just curious as to how I fared after my trip down the stairs?"

Scorpius's voice was a little biting as he answered. "Looks to me like the Ravenclaw patched you up well enough."

Picking up on the dark undertones Al had no idea where they were coming from. Neither of the twins crossed paths with Malfoy often, and as far as Al knew the Slytherin never paid any attention to either of them. The anger must be directed at him, which was nothing new. Probably mad about the dog crack, which he sure as hell was not taking back or apologizing for.

Striving for a lighter tone Al shrugged as much as his shoulders would allow. "He did do an excellent job. I'm told my ass was very colorful before Lorcan healed it up."

Okay, it was one thing for the damn birdbrain to touch Potter's back, and a whole other thing for the bastard to put his hands on Potter's ass. That gorgeous ass was his exclusive property, dammit. The Ravenclaw wasn't going to know what hit him.

Sensing the man's thoughts Al's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Don't even think about hurting a hair on either of their heads, Malfoy. Though I don't know why you'd be angry at either of them is bey-. Or wait…yes I do know…and don't be. You wouldn't have gotten any tonight even if I hadn't taken that tumble."

"Oh really, and why is that?" Scorpius inquired silkily, not liking the other man's protectiveness of the twins, or the fact that he was apparently in Potter's bad books for some reason.

"I'm not interested in that mouth now that I know where it's been. So if you're shagging anyone tonight, it won't be me. Or any time soon actually." Al answered with a half smile, though inwardly he was seriously pissed. That the snogging had obviously not meant a thing to the Slytherin had been clear, but didn't change the facts. He could only bend his morals so much. And the thought of sharing a man with someone else turned his stomach.

Eyes darkening dangerously Scorpius walked over, bracing his hands on the tub's rim as he leaned forward to get in the Gryffindor's face. "Are you jealous, Potter?"

Now Al's eyes darkened too, out of fury and pain that the other man was even partially right. "It's not jealousy to have standards." He shot back. "You might try to get some if she's any example of what you were shagging before me."

"At least I was getting some before you."

Al scoffed in response to that. "Better quality over quantity."

"Then I'll go back to my quantity and you can spend your quality time with yourself." Reaching out Scorpius forced a quick, punishing kiss against the man's lips before turning him loose with a curse too low for the Gryffindor's to understand.

And turning around Scorpius left the room without a backward glance, slamming the door behind him.

Al hated that he cared.

)

Neither Al nor Scorpius was in a good mood for the rest of that week and into the next. People learned to avoid Scorpius like the plague and Al with kid gloves, just in case. Not that Al revealed his inner turmoil, but those with instincts sensed the emotions bubbling inside of him, waiting to be released.

Scorpius had had every intention of screwing his way through all his former girlfriends to make Potter sorry, but he was so pissed off that he couldn't even make himself pretend to be interested in even just screwing them. And while the women he'd dated weren't the brightest bulbs, they did know it when a man wasn't truly interested in being around them and so he was not getting laid and was damn pissed off about it.

And he was even more pissed off about the fact that Potter was suddenly spending a great deal of time with Lysander Scamander. And knowing that pissed him off even more.

Al meanwhile was not getting either but at least he was used to it. And his days were filled with keeping an eye on Lysander since he couldn't shake the feeling that if Malfoy did unleash his temper, it would be in the Ravenclaw's direction. Al didn't know why, but he'd caught the Slytherin eyeing the twins darkly and that was enough for him to assign himself bodyguard duty. Lorcan could handle himself, but Lysander was a whole other story.

And if anything happened to Lysander because of him Al would be even more miserable than he already was. If that was possible.

Louis just watched the whole show with a mixture of wariness and concern. Al was miserable, Lysander was clueless, Malfoy was pissed and Goyle was, if Louis wasn't mistaken, amused by the whole thing. Though why the Slytherin would find it all funny was beyond him. Of course, until now he hadn't realized the man had evolved enough to have a sense of humor, Louis thought with a small, twisted smile.

And on day six of Malfoy and Potter's cold war Louis decided to find out why the situation amused the Slytherin so much by going up to the living mountain and asking him outright why the whole thing seemed to tickle his fancy so much.

Amused by the turn of phrase Rorake just shrugged down at the other man. He knew what Louis Weasley thought of him and he didn't see any point in trying to change the Gryffindor's mind. Besides, he hated to talk to people, especially people like this Weasley. You just couldn't trust beautiful people to say what they truly meant.

"You know, Goyle, speaking a whole sentence wouldn't kill you." Louis pointed out dryly, not intimidated by the Slytherin the way most people weren't. Brains could always overcome brawn after all, he thought confidently.

"You hoping it will?" Rorake returned, shoving his hands into his pockets. Unlike most men Rorake wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of the fact that he found the Gryffindor physically attractive. It was biological chemistry after all, nothing more. A typical reaction to one of Veela blood. And besides that, the Weasley was practically a girl anyway.

Reluctantly amused by the quip Louis schooled his features so that his amusement didn't show. "Will you at least tell me why you seem so amused by them recently? They've been fighting since they got here in first year and you've never seemed to even notice before." Normally Louis wouldn't have cared, but he was worried that maybe Goyle knew something about what Al and Malfoy had been up to and if that was the case he needed to use a memory charm on the big lug as soon as possible.

Rorake shrugged again, mostly because he could see how much it annoyed the Gryffindor. He didn't quite know what had changed between the two, neither was talking, but he figured it had something to do with the volatile chemistry the two had always had. One of them must have finally blown up at the other with some very interesting results. He just thought it was funny because for some reason they were currently reminded him of a serious couple on the outs. And that idea was just too funny for words in his book.

"Why do I even bother? It's like talking to the mountain you resemble."

Rorake's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything as the Gryffindor threw his hands up in the air in a dramatic show of exasperation. Turning his head to the side Rorake watched the girlie boy saunter off and had to give the other man credit. Considering how little of an ass the man had Weasley sure knew how to shake what was there.

)

It was on the eighth night that Scorpius, on his way out for prefect duty, overheard the plot being hatched for the following night. Normally he would have kept walking, but his ears had been trained to zoom in on the name Potter and that was who they were talking about. Just not his Potter. And Scorpius was disgusted enough by the fact that he thought of any Potter as his that he almost didn't bother to stop and get a sense of the conversation. But Lily Potter was still a Potter, he reasoned, and if something was going to happen to any Potter he wanted to know about it.

So Scorpius remained where he was and eavesdropped, his face going blank and expressionless as he listened to the whole conversation, not moving a muscle until he was sure all the men had left the passageway. When the coast was clear Scorpius moved on autopilot, leaving the Slytherin dormitories to catch up with the annoyed Hufflepuff he'd been assigned to patrol with.

The look on his face had the sixth year's complaints dying in his throat.

Ignoring the other man as they started on their rounds Scorpius's thoughts were focused solely on what he'd overheard and the choice he now faced. He didn't like Lily Potter. He didn't like any Potter. They could all die tomorrow and his only complaint would be that he hadn't been the one to send them to their maker.

But the Slytherins he'd overheard didn't intend to kill Lily Potter. And that was the problem. He could overlook that; Scorpius doubted his conscience would feel so much as a twinge for keeping his mouth shut if that had been the case. He owed nothing to the redheaded brat or her assehole brother.

If only Donovan Cavendish weren't involved.

Canvendish was right up there with Scorpius's great aunt Bellatrix in the sanity department. The seventh year Slytherin was a sociopath. There wasn't a doubt in Scorpius mind. The man might pretend to feel and think like everyone else, but it was all an act that fooled most well enough. But the only times Scorpius had ever thought the bastard might be showing real emotion was when he was causing something or someone else pain. He couldn't stand the freak.

And while he had no problem with a dead Lily Potter…he didn't have the stomach to turn a blind eye to a fifteen year old girl walking blindly into Cavendish's clutches. Killing her would be the more humane thing for him to do.

He really only had the one choice, and while it turned his stomach to play weasel Scorpius had accepted what he must do by the time they'd reach the end of their patrol. Dismissing the other man without a backward glance Scorpius made use of the various castle shortcuts and just managed to catch the elder Potter as the man headed up the stairs leading towards the Gryffindor dormitories after his own rounds.

Hearing the footsteps Al turned his head and met the Slytherin's gaze, watching the man walk up the stairs towards him with such a purposeful expression. Remaining where he was Al crossed his arms in front of him as he waited to hear whatever bullshit the Slytherin was going to try to feed him, desperately relieved that the other man had cracked before he had.

Walking up to stand in the Gryffindor's personal space Scorpius leaned forward to place his lips against the shell of the other man's ear, his voice hardly louder than a whisper. "Tomorrow night at ten o'clock. The east corridor, third floor, near Professor Kromwell's office. Be there, and bring friends. Experienced friends unless you want bloodshed."

Straightening Scorpius turned in one fluid motion, having no intention of doing or saying anything more. It was all on Potter's shoulders now. He'd done all he intended to do. If Potter wanted to disregard the information…well then it would be on Lily Potter's broken body.

"Will you be there?" Al called out softly, watching the Slytherin walk down the stairs without looking back, confused as hell as to what was going on. Was Malfoy…warning him that something bad was going to happen? Or was this a trap? But if that was it-

Scorpius's head shake was barely noticeable.

)

The next night Al was in place with his reinforcements. He had had to do some serious schedule changes, but he'd managed with Rosie's help to get Lorcan and Frankie Longbottom off their prefect duties so that they could give him a hand. The four of them waited in the hallway with Louis and Frankie's father, Al figuring that having a teacher around could only help the situation if this was all a trap. He hadn't told them who had given him the information, and Al wasn't so stupid as to not think that this might be meant as a diversion so he wouldn't interfere in something else. He hadn't been scheduled to patrol tonight though, and would have spent his evening in the tower most likely. So he was giving Malfoy the benefit of the doubt, Merlin help him. And standing in the darkened hallway, Al's gut screamed that something was indeed going to go down.

When their watches revealed it to be the appointed time the six watched silently from their places as three men appeared, all dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks that disguised their faces.

Tensing up the six all shared looks with their assigned partners as they pondered what the men could be up to. Nothing good, that was for sure.

They're waiting for something or someone, Al thought, sharing a look with Louis, who nodded in silent agreement. The question was…what or who were they waiting for?

The answer came a couple minutes later as they all watched in growing comprehension as two more men dressed like the others appeared, a girl in between them. A girl in a Gryffindor uniform who was struggling to get free of her captors, a black bag over her head to hide her identity. Not that any of them needed to see her face to know who she was once she was in hearing distance.

Lily.

Paling Al suddenly realized why they had chosen this area of the school. It was Lily's night to patrol with Thomas Gates, a sixth year Ravenclaw. And as a favor to him Thomas always saw Lily back to the stairs leading to the Gryffindor dormitories since he didn't like the idea of his sister out so late by herself. This would be the quickest route to get her there from the sector they would have been patrolling.

And these men had known that.

One of the three men broke free of the others and walked over to remove the hood, Lily's furious face coming into view as she cursed out the men and informed them in explicit terms what her brothers were going to do to them when they heard about this.

That only made the man laugh, and it was a bone chilling sound.

"What makes you think you'll be in any condition to tell anyone anything, Potter?" The man hissed, disguising his voice. "Because I can tell you now, you won't be."

Lily stuck out her chin, pride preventing her from showing how scared she was, both for herself and for Thomas. She didn't know what spell he'd been hit with, but her friend had been unconscious and bleeding on the ground when they'd forced the bag over her head. Tears threatening to spill Lily glared at her masked captors with everything she had. "You have no idea who you're messing with."

"Oh but I do. It's because you're a Potter that this is happening to you. You're not at all my taste, you skinny little bitch. But one does what one must for the greater good. Not that I'll be making it at all good for you. I'm going to break you in and then let them have what's left of you after you're done. Pity I'll have to cast a spell to muffle your screams."" And now the Slytherin reached out to grip Lily's blouse on either side, his muscles bunching as he prepared to rip it apart.

He never got the chance.

The curse hitting him square in the back the Slytherin arched painfully at the force of Al's attack before crumbling to the floor in a heap, his spine too damaged to support his weight.

The other attackers drew their wands, dropping them one by one onto the floor as they found themselves surrounded by individuals more than ready to draw their blood, the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindors' fury and intent palatable.

And running over to her brother Lily allowed him to push her behind him, the girl wrapping her arms tightly around his waist for her comfort, and his.


	9. Punishment and Reward

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Punishment and Reward

Marching down the hallway at a fast paced clip Harry and Ginny Potter's footsteps sounded against the castle floor, Thomas Gates parents close behind them. They were met in front of the Great Hall by Neville, who'd been asked by the Headmaster to escort them to the Medical Wing as soon as they arrived.

"Neville, what happened?" Ginny demanded to know, breaking into a run as soon as she spotted their life long friend. "We got word that something happened to Al and Lily. Are they okay?"

"And Thomas?" Thomas's mother chimed in.

"All three are fine." Neville assured the women, knowing how dangerous mothers could be when their children were possibly in danger. "Al doesn't have a scratch on him and Lily has a few bruises but nothing to worry about. Thomas has a slight concussion but the rest of his injuries have already been taken care of." And knowing what was coming Neville explained what had happened before they could ask for more details. "Five Slytherins conspired to attack Lily tonight. Mr. Gates was patrolling with Lily at the time and the two Slytherins in charge of retrieving her attacked him first. They knocked him out and then grabbed Lily. We got lucky though, someone passed Al an anonymous note telling him that something was going down that night in that hallway." Here Neville's gaze met Harry's for a moment, silently communicating that he thought that was bullshit before continuing. "Anyway, Al rustled up some people including myself to check things out and we got there before anything serious happened. The Slytherins are all in custody."

"And something serious was going to happen?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do we know what their plan was?"

"From the sounds of it, yes, they had…very bad intentions. Donovan Cavendish was in charge."

The two sets of parents shared looks of dark understanding. They had all heard about the seventh year Slytherin from their children and nothing said had been good. The boy's father was in Azkaban serving a life sentence, both for murder and assault. Sexual assault. And they all knew, in their guts, what the five Slytherins had had planned for Harry's little girl.

"Where is Cavendish's spawn now?" Was all Harry wanted to know, just barely able to keep his rage in check. He needed to see his baby girl though. He needed to see she was fine with his own eyes before he lost his head completely.

"On his way to St. Mungos as we speak." And now Neville smiled just a little. "Al got off a shot before we took down the rest of them. Al damaged the kid's spine pretty badly according to Madam Pomfrey. It's repairable, unfortunately, but he'll be stuck in the hospital for a while. And he won't be coming back here, he's expelled from Hogwarts."

"And the other four?" Ginny's voice indicated what she wanted done to the Slytherins and it wasn't at all humane.

"They're being watched right now. We figured Harry could take three of them into custody since they're over seventeen. The other one is sixteen and according to the Headmaster he's going to be suspended long enough that he'll have to repeat the year. That's the best we can do for him since he's still a minor and he didn't actually do anything other than conspire. We haven't been able to reach his parents yet either."

"We'll see if I can't change that." Was all Harry said just before they opened the Medical Wing doors, stepping in and taking in the scene automatically with Auror's eyes. His instincts had Harry's gaze turning to the large group huddled around together on one bed. Al was in the middle of the group with Lily perched up on his lap, his arms wrapped around her waist and her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair. Sitting beside Al on one side was Rosie and on the other was Louis. Lounging around by Thomas's bed were Frankie and Lorcan, all the teens turning their heads to look in the direction of the door when it opened, several of them placing hands over the pockets that held their wands until they recognized the group coming towards them.

Hopping off her brother's lap Lily ran over to her father, wrapping her arms around his neck as he scooped her up and into his arms.

Coming around Ginny sandwiched her daughter between them, smiling when her son came to sandwich her and his sister between him and Harry, making one big Potter sandwich.

Thomas's parents hurrying over to their son as well Lorcan took over explaining the situation as the healer in training.

Everyone doing a lot of hugging and explaining the Headmaster and Madam Pomfrey soon returned to the room and took over, shushing and dismissing the teenagers so that they could talk and conference with the adults.

Everyone but Al was sent back to their dorm rooms, Louis volunteering to watch over Lily until he got back. Al had promised his sister that she could bunk with him.

The adults all wanted to question Al more about his so called anonymous tip but he gave the same response as he'd given them when they'd first asked and stuck by it.

Of course his parents both knew, just like Neville, that the boy was lying through his teeth after hearing him for themselves. Al didn't lie often, so he royally sucked at it. And he only fell more apart under questioning. The adults in the know didn't question him though, knowing Al must have a reason that he didn't feel comfortable admitting in front of the Headmaster.

Harry waited until the Headmaster gave Al leave to go before making his move. Separating from the rest of the adults Harry left his wife to represent them while he went over to talk to his son as the boy turned to leave.

Looking his son straight in the eye Harry didn't beat around the bush as he pitched his voice for Al's ears only. "Someone gave you that warning personally." It wasn't a question. Al had told the others he'd chucked the note and that was just laughable. His son knew too much about law procedure to do that and they both knew it.

"Yes. But I'm not giving the name." Al answered under his breath, his eyes steady on his father's. "This person saved Lily…I'm not going to thank that person by pointing a finger in said person's direction."

"A fellow Slytherin then." Harry considered this thoughtfully, this being the most logical assumption. "Rare for one of them to go against their own house for a Gryffindor." But he was damn glad this one had.

"If they'd just meant to cause her problems this person probably wouldn't have said anything. But Cavendish is Cavendish." Al's face was harsh as he imagined what would have happened to his sister if Malfoy hadn't given him the heads up. Thank God the blonde had a little chivalry in him where girls were concerned.

Harry's hands fisted just thinking about what a Cavendish was capable of. "Well whoever the person is, say thanks for us." Reaching out Harry gave his son's shoulder a squeeze. "And give yourself a pat on the shoulder too. Especially for taking the bastard out. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad." Exchanging a hug with his father Al let himself lean for a moment, drawing support from the man who'd always been his rock. "And I'll pass on your thanks."

"You do that."

)

The next day over breakfast no one failed to notice the unusual behavior of the Weasley/Potter family. They often moved in groups, but never all at once like lemmings. And they were all crowding in on Al and Lily, like a protective force field. And the other members of the Gryffindor house knew that Lily had spent the night with her brother and cousin instead of in her own room, which was out of character. Lily was not the fraidy cat type.

Everyone was curious and everyone not in the know was shocked soon enough when the Headmaster stood up and told them all about the attack the night before and the fact that the Slytherin house had lost two hundred and fifty points as a result. Fifty points taken from every person involved. Each of the students involved with helping to apprehend the men got thirty points and Lily and Thomas each got thirty five points for their houses as well. Since Slytherin didn't have that many points to begin with the points would be given to the other houses now and future points given to Slytherin would be registered and then deducted.

Slytherins would not be placing anything but forth for the House Cup.

This of course caused major outrage among the Slytherin ranks, but the look the Headmaster aimed in their direction had them shutting up against their will. He gave everyone, particularly them, a lecture about treating everyone fairly and the consequences of not doing so that seemed to go on forever but got its point across.

The Headmaster was seriously pissed and they'd all pay for any infractions they might incur.

Sitting in his seat Scorpius absently tapped his fingers on the table, annoyed by this turn of events. Though he supposed he should have seen it coming, the Slytherin silently mused to himself. The House Cup was one more way he strove to beat Potter and this most definitely put them out of the running. There would be no catching up unless all the other houses committed acts of mass murder. And it was, in a roundabout way, his fault. That just made it even more of a pisser.

Trying to look on the bright side of things Scorpius turned his attention to the elder Potter hovering protectively over his little sister. Potter owed him, big time. And just thinking about the fact that Potter was going to have to break down and thank him had Scorpius all but squirming with anticipation. It was going to be quite the moment. He should find a way to record it, the Slytherin thought gleefully. Most definitely. And watch it over and over again until his eyes crossed.

"You're looking pleased all of a sudden." Rorake commented from his right side, not sure how to take that. From where he was sitting Scorpius had nothing to be happy about. Cavendish and Malfoy were far from friends, but their families were so to speak. And he'd heard that Malfoy's grandfather and Cavendish's mother put their heads together often, brainstorming about bringing about the resurrection of the Death Eaters. The lack of leader was the only thing holding those two back. And Donovan Cavendish would be one of their first recruits should that ever happen.

Looking over Scorpius just shrugged with a cat that got the cream grin.

)

As Scorpius expected Potter requested a meeting, though how the Gryffindor had gotten the piece of parchment into his book bag was beyond him. Still, it was a meeting and Scorpius was going to get to rub it in the man's face that Potter was now in his debt. And that was just too sweet for words. Or to be missed.

For the rest of the day Scorpius contemplated and mentally debated how he should handle the planned meeting, finally deciding that he would simply tell Potter not to worry about paying him back. It would screw with the Gryffindor's head more. Potter would hate like hell being in his debt with no balancing the scales in sight. Which just made the whole thing that much sweeter.

And it was so, so sweet.

All but rubbing his hands with glee Scorpius headed for the Room of Requirement after dinner, opening the door as he forced himself to wipe the grin off his face. He wanted his thanks and groveling, and being smug right away would probably jinx him.

Potter was waiting for him, the room completely empty for once. There was only the two of them. Interesting. Shoving him hands into his pockets Scorpius couldn't help but stroll in like he owned the place. "Potter. You wanted to see me?" He asked oh so innocently.

Rather than answer Al took the couple steps needed and framing Malfoy's face between his hands Al got up on his tip toes and rubbed his lips against the Slytherin's slowly, the kiss lingering and long as he carefully moved his lips against Malfoy's.

Eyes widening Scorpius stayed perfectly still as the Gryffindor deepened the kiss degree by shuddering degree, seeming to be making love to his mouth as opposed to just kissing it. Melting into it Scorpius couldn't have moved if he wanted to, not that he wanted to. He'd been thinking Potter's reluctant thanks would be sweet, but this was even sweeter.

The kiss seemed to go on forever and then the Gryffindor's lips moved to his neck and began applying his gentle attentions there. Scorpius didn't even notice that the other man had undone his tie and shirt until Potter was sliding off his robes and the shirt along with it. And then the Gryffindor's lips were moving over his now bare chest and Scorpius decided thinking was more than a little overrated. Lifting his hands Scorpius cradled the man's head as the other man leaned in to swirl his tongue lazily around his nipple, shuddering against the Gryffindor.

Thanks to the magic of the room a bed appeared magically behind them, Al gently pushing Scorpius back down in it before joining him on top of it. Straddling the Slytherin Al leaned forward and went back to kissing a path down the other man's chest, his calloused fingers moving across Scorpius's skin with light, tender touches that held the man in place the way brute force never could.

Scorpius moved against the Gryffindor's lips and fingers helplessly, absorbing the pleasure as he watched the other man through half closed eyes, completely bespelled and bewitched by him.

Scorpius's dove grey eyes widened though when the Gryffindor's lips reached the waistband of his trousers, knowing hands undoing the hook and zipper while Potter's hot breath blew over his damp skin.

"You're still dressed." Scorpius breathed out as he lifted his hips so that the other man could easily drag the trousers down and out of the way.

"And will stay that way." Albus answered huskily, lifting his head to meet the Slytherin's gaze while he braced one hand beside the other man's hip and the other…the other he wrapped around Scorpius's straining erection.

Groaning at the delicious contact Scorpius's fingers desperately fisted in the sheets beneath him. The decibel of the groans went even higher as the Gryffindor leaned down to drag his tongue up from the base to the tip of Scorpius's erection.

And then Potter's inexperienced but enthusiastic mouth got busy, taking Scorpius's erection into his mouth and began working the Slytherin over with gentle suction, tonguing him as Al gauged his success by the sounds the other man made as he pleasured him.

Propping up on his elbows so that he could watch Scorpius panted hard, his grey eyes now steel grey as he met the dark emerald gaze of his seducer, who held his gaze as Potter innocentlydrove him crazy.

Their eyes held until Scorpius's orgasm hit, and then Scorpius saw nothing but heaven.

)

An hour later Scorpius was pretty sure there wasn't a bone left in his body. He felt like everything inside him had been pummeled, wrung out and smoothed out until all that was left was a pleasurable hazy. Scorpius's toes would have curled with it but he didn't have the energy to do even that. The Gryffindor hadn't stopped touching and kissing him since he'd arrived in the room and Scorpius figured it was going to be a long time before he had the inkling, much less the drive to move. Here was the absolutely best place to be.

Opening his eyes when he felt lips brush his cheek Scorpius opened his eyes a little to see what the Gryffindor was up to, the man now standing beside the bed that had magically appeared for them.

"I'm heading back to my tower. You'll get in trouble if you stay here much longer."

Scorpius blinked, his brain too mushy to say anything.

A small, knowing smile on his face, Al lowered his head to place one last kiss on the Slytherin's mouth before turning to leave. "Thanks from my family too."

Watching the Gryffindor go something occurred to the Slytherin that had his jaw perilously close to dropping. "Wait a minute…that was your thank you? That's how you say thank you?"

No wonder the man's family was so friggin huge. His would be to if good deeds equaled blow jobs.

"To you it is." Looking over his shoulder Al grinned with a mischievous light in his eyes. "And you're welcome."


	10. Ranting Roommates

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters, poor bastards, find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's got to be. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Ranting Roommates

Laying back on the bed Scorpius stared at the ceiling, various thoughts struggling to form in his post orgasm mind. It was surprisingly hard to do. But one thing that did manage to get through the mental haze was the fact that Potter no longer owed him and that was not the way it was supposed to be. Because really, after what Potter had just done how could he say the man owed him anything? Hell, he probably owed Potter a thank you now for so thoroughly rocking his world in some truly excellent ways.

For a Gryffindor Potter was surprisingly sneaky.

That was the final thought Scorpius had before slipping into light slumber, waking up four hours later with a curse. Getting dressed quickly Scorpius's swearing only increased in volume and creativity when he saw for his own eyes how late it was.

Getting out of the room as quickly as possible Scorpius used his invisibility to escape detection as he made his way down to the ground floor and then across the castle. When he finally entered the passageway that led to his dorms Scorpius undid the invisibility spell and headed down the stone hallway at a fast clip.

He was only ten minutes away from the entrance when he saw a large, imposing figure coming towards him at a fast walk. The torches made things blurry, but he recognized the man marching towards him having known the other man since they were infants together.

"There you are. Are you alright?" Rorake demanded to know as he hurried over, looking for any sign of injury.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"What am I doing out of bed?" Now Rorake's voice was beginning to sound pissed, especially since there were no injuries to be seen as he got closer. "I've been up for hours, worried sick, and you've been out…stupid question, it's written all over your face." Now Rorake was really pissed. "You were out getting laid, weren't you? Figures."

Turning around Rorake headed back the way he'd come, Scorpius hurrying after him automatically.

"Wait…you were coming to look for me?" Scorpius was torn between being a little touched by his roommate's concern and insulted that the other man thought he couldn't handle himself. "What did you think had happened to me? I can take anyone here."

"And if members of the other houses decided to avenge what almost happened to Lily Potter by taking out you, a Death Eater in training?"

The thought hadn't even entered Scorpius's mind. But it was a possibility, there were plenty of people in the other houses who were stupid enough to form a mob and try and jinx him into the next century. And if there were enough of them…okay, there would be a possibility of him ending up somewhat…incapacitated.

The sound of Rorake stomping off was enough to jog Scorpius from his thoughts, the blonde automatically picking up speed to catch up with him. "Rory, wait."

Rorake stopped so suddenly Scorpius ran right into his with a thud. Cursing as he held his now throbbing nose Scorpius glared up at his roommate. "Why the hell did you stop so fast?"

Because for the first time in a very long time Scorpius had called him by his childhood nickname. But saying that would just make him sound incredibly pathetic and Rorake was already mad as hell at himself for caring about Scorpius's well being. Like caring about the man had ever gotten him anything but grief, the man thought bitterly.

Annoyed just as much that Rorake's way of answering was to start walking again Scorpius sped up and then hip checked the man over to the side so that they could walk side by side. "I asked you a question, Goyle."

"So now I'm Goyle again." Rorake muttered under his breath before looking over to meet Scorpius's gaze. "What do you want? I already know I'm an idiot for worrying."

Now he was confused and pissed. "Why are you so mad at me? I fell asleep, I didn't mean to. Do you want me to say I'm sorry for making you worry?"

"You never apologize. It's part of what makes you a Malfoy."

Arriving at the hidden entrance to their dorm before Scorpius could think of a smart comeback Rorake stated the password and, with a great deal of sarcasm, bowed and motioned for Scorpius to go on ahead as the bricks disappeared to reveal the entrance. "After you."

Getting more pissed by the minute Scorpius marched through to their common room and into the hallway leading to their dorm room. Reaching their room despite the growing red haze in front of his eyes Scorpius opened it and then made a big production of copying Rorake's earlier actions. "Now after you."

Not about to be drawn into a fight with the other man Rorake headed straight over to his side of the room and stripped down to his boxers and the T-shirt he'd been wearing underneath his sweater. Too tired to bother with putting his pajamas back on Rorake slid back into bed and ignored the looks he was getting from the other side of the room Rorake turned onto his side and gave Scorpius his back.

Neither spoke for the next ten minutes until, "Goyle?"

"What?"

"Thank you for coming to look for me."

"You're welcome."

It wasn't an apology, but it was more than Rorake had expected.

)

The next day, after their Care of Magical Creatures class, Rorake and Al set off back towards the castle after letting everyone walk off ahead of them. That way they could talk to each other without getting weird looks and pointed questions later.

"So did something happen?" Al asked as he adjusted the strap of his bag, concern for his friend written all over his expressive face. "You seem mad about something. Did someone say something to you? Cracks about your intelligence? Your dad?" Al figured the dad thing was more likely than the cracks since Rorake was used to being teased and insulted, especially about his so called lack of intelligence. Not that that made it right, but the man was pretty much impervious to those comments by now. Rory really didn't get along with his dad though and it wouldn't be the first time that a letter from his old man had had Rory ready to put a fist through a wall. Which Rory could actually do.

"Malfoy just pissed me off last night." Rorake shrugged his shoulders, annoyed that it still bothered him. "He was out with whatever piece of ass he's doing now and fell asleep, didn't get back until morning. Being an idiot I was all set to go find him when we met up in the hallway."

"He called the person a piece of ass?" Flames erupting in the depths of his eyes Al's thoughts were as dark and vicious as any Slytherin's.

A little surprised at the heat Al was suddenly giving off Rorake wisely didn't question that and simply answered the question. "No, that's what I call all his women. He's only interested in what they have below the waist after all. Though I guess if I was going to have to marry Lena Birthistle I'd get as much action beforehand as possible too. That girl could give a man frostbite just from looking at her."

"So you've met her?" Al had never met the girl gossip said Lucius had picked out for his grandson. She went to Beaubaxtons and no one seemed to know much about her. But given who'd given her the seal of approval Al was inclined to believe the frostbite comment. He'd met Lucius's wife after all.

Rorake nodded. "A couple of times. I wouldn't marry her for all the gold in Gringotts. She's living proof, I suppose, of just how much Scorpius wants Lucius's approval."

"But he hasn't asked her yet, right?"

"He will." Rorake didn't doubt it for a moment. "Maybe that's why I cut him too much slack here. Marrying her…that's going to be worse than a trip to Azkaban when it still had the Dementors overseeing the prisoners."

Wincing Al looked up at Rorake. "And you really don't think you could talk him out of it?"

"There isn't a person alive who can talk a Malfoy out of something they have their mind set on."

"That's not a cheerful thought."

"Wasn't meant to be."

)

"Why were you talking to that Slytherin?" Louis demanded to know as soon as Al had left the Slytherin's side to join him. He'd been waiting for Al outside the castle and he'd seen them walking together from class together and this wasn't the first time either. Louis was beginning to realize that Al brushed him off every time he asked why that was too.

"I was curious about the girl Malfoy is going to marry. I figured Goyle would know her."

Louis's gaze was piercing as he crossed his arms in front of him. "And why would he tell you anything? As it is the man hardly speaks in sentences, much less paragraphs."

Al's lips twitched. "You two just rub each other the wrong way. And I help him with school work for Hagrid's class. It was a trade of info."

It figured that the Slytherin was dumb enough to need help in a bird course, Louis thought with a shake of his head. And it wasn't like he was the only one Goyle refused to have a real conversation with. He'd never seen the other man have anything resembling a conversation with anyone, even Malfoy. The man would be a wallflower if he weren't so bloody big.

"Anyway, he didn't have a single good thing to say about the would be fiancée." And the fact that he hated the idea of the Slytherin marrying anyone unnerved him. He should wish a horrible wife on the jerk, Al reminded himself sternly. Even if Malfoy had helped with Lily, it was probably the first and last good deed the Slytherin would ever do.

"And it bothers you that he'll be marrying someone else."

"Louis…even if we wanted to, which we sure as hell don't, we couldn't get married. Hell, at this point, I'd settle for being able to hold a guy's hand in public without worrying about being stoned to death. And I wouldn't want to hold 'Bond's' hand if that's what you're going to suggest either."

"Oh really? Because it seems to me you've done a hell of a lot more than hold 'Bond's' hand." Louis shot back.

Understanding that Louis was just worried about him Al reached out and slugged his arm over his cousin's shoulder. "My brain is still in working order so I'm not stupid, Louis. No one gets either Bond in their bed for long."

"And how many of them end up dead because of 007?"

Louis had a point. About the original Bond anyway. But as Al had decided from the very beginning, he was not going to be just another Bond girl. He knew better.

Or at least he hoped he did.

"Are you going to start things up with him again?" Louis asked, his blue eyes full of worry as he stopped walking, moving to stand in front of his cousin as he gave Al his full attention.

Al knew himself too well to say there wasn't a chance in hell, so he shrugged.

Shaking his head Louis knew his cousin too well to think that he could talk his best friend out of continuing to meet up with Malfoy. Hell, if the bastard were his type Louis might have been tempted too. But still… "Just remember to keep me in the loop, okay? I am M after all. Making sure you don't end up dead is my job."

"And one you're very, very good at." Al gave his cousin a quick hug. "And I promise that you'll be kept in the loop, Boss."

"Damn right."

)

But Louis was still worried and so he sent the rest of his crowd off ahead of him after dinner, hanging around the Great Hall's entrance as he waited for Goyle to come out. The other man ate food like the world was coming to an end and was always one of the last people to leave. Though to be fair, width wise the Slytherin was two of him. It would take a lot to fuel a body that size, Louis mused.

Finally the Slytherin exited the hall and taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around Louis moved in to intercept.

Hearing the sound of determined footsteps Rorake turned around, surprised when he saw who was bearing down on him like a vampire scenting blood.

"I need to talk to you for a few minutes." Louis announced, his voice making to clear that he wasn't to be refused.

But then princesses generally got their way, Rorake thought with hidden amusement. He was tempted to continue walking, but the snotty little he/she would probably curse him. Better to just find out what the Weasley wanted, Rorake surmised. "What do you want?"

"I want to make a deal with you."

Well that was unexpected. "What kind of deal?"

"I want you to tell me if Malfoy says anything around you about Al that isn't one of his usual 'I hate Potter' rants. No matter how small or insignificant."

"And what makes you think I could be bribed to do that?" Louis Weasley wasn't stupid, so there had to be some sort of logic, at least in the blonde's mind.

"Because in return I'm willing to help you with your school work so you graduate with decent grades."

His grades were more than decent, but Rorake saw little point in pointing that out. Besides, he was really curious now. "So you think my loyalty can be bought for free tutorage?" He should probably be insulted.

"You aren't Malfoy's stooge or friend, so why not? He'd probably sell you up the river without a twinge of guilt." When Rorake just raised an eyebrow Louis took that as his cue to elaborate. "You aren't Death Eater material, Goyle. You don't pick fights with anyone and you don't act as Malfoy's muscle. You don't really hang out with any of the other Slytherins and we both know Malfoys don't have friends they can't use somehow." Louis added, not without some sympathy. As a people person he couldn't begin to see how not having friends couldn't be torturous.

Again Rorake thought that he should probably be insulted, but he was sort of flattered too that the other man didn't think he was Death Eater material. That would insult pretty much every other Slytherin, but he was pretty much an original in his house. So should he or shouldn't he, Rorake pondered while the Gryffindor tapped his foot impatiently. There had to be a reason for this unexpected request. Had Malfoy issued some sort of threat against Al? Or worse…had Scorpius somehow been a part of what those other Slytherins had tried to do to Lily Potter?

Just the thought had his blood running cold.

"You think…he intends to hurt your cousin?" Rorake finally asked, his face unreadable as he focused all his intention on reading the Weasley's face. Before now Scorpius had only issued threats and minor jinxes in Al's direction. Was that going to change?

"Let's just say I suspect he might be up to something where Al is concerned." Up and in in this case, Louis thought with dark humor.

Al was his friend. He would not let Scorpius hurt him.

Not having to think about it anymore Rorake held out his hand to the Gryffindor. "We have a deal."

Taking the hand Louis shook it, his gaze as serious as Rorake's. "And just so you know, if I find out you've been holding out on me, I will make you wish my uncles hadn't saved your dad's ass in their seventh year, capice?"

"Girlie threat noted." And saluting the glaring Weasley Rorake turned and continued on his way with a thoughtful look on his face.

)

Scorpius chose to be amused that the Hufflepuff he was on patrol with was scared spit-less of him. The girl couldn't be walking any further from him unless she tried walk through the walls. Did she really think they would have assigned her to patrol with him if they thought he'd harm a hair on her incredibly stupid head? But she was a Hufflepuff, he mused, stupidity was a requirement.

Watching a smile break over her face Scorpius watched as she ran over to meet the two figures walking in their general direction. Potter and that Ravenclaw twin the Gryffindor liked so much. Just the sight of the two walking together pissed him off.

At first Al thought the girl was running from an attacker but he quickly recognized Scorpius as the man followed the Hufflepuff at a casual pace. There wasn't a mark on the girl and Veronica was known to be a little…high strung. Well that and if the Slytherin had meant her harm she would have never gotten away from him this easily. So logic suggested that she was just freaked out over what had happened to Lily and feared being next.

"Malfoy." Nodding an acknowledgement Al tried not to be amused as the girl squeezed herself in between him and Lorcan. "You and Veronica are almost done your patrol?"

"Almost." Feeling infinitely safer now Veronica looked up pleadingly. "I'm really not feeling well, Albus, do you think he could maybe finish our patrol on his own? He doesn't need my help and I really do feel awful."

"No problem. Lorcan can see you back to the Hufflepuff dormitories. Malfoy and I can see to the rest of our patrols alone." Understanding where she was coming from Al wasn't going to press the matter and make her finish. And sending Lorcan with her would insure that she wouldn't freak herself out on the way back to her dorm.

Waving off the girl's thanks Al watched them walk off before turning his attention to the lurking Slytherin, who'd stayed out of the exchange entirely. Walking over Al looked up to meet Malfoy's amused gaze.

"And here you're supposed to be such a ladies man."


	11. Panting For You

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Panting For You

"It will be a cold day in hell when I'd want a piece of that twit." Rolling his eyes Scorpius reached out to oh so casually stroke a hand teasingly down the other man's cheek. "And besides, I thought I told you earlier, the ladies here have lost their appeal."

"Not to mention you really have worked your way through all the Slytherin women." Al returned, reaching out to copy the gesture, and then brought his fingers around to trace the Slytherin's bottom lip. "That would put anyone off sex."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall you complaining when you were under me. And I was in you."

"Well I can't afford to be picky, now can I?"

"So what exactly are you complaining about?" Challenged Scorpius reached out and pulled the Gryffindor up and onto his tip toes, fitting them perfectly together as those amused green eyes met his. Shifting his hands downward Scorpius gripped the other man's ass, pushing their hips together so that the man's eyes darkened noticeably. Better. And the Gryffindor was wearing cologne, Scorpius noticed in appreciation, the scent making him eager to taste the skin it had been applied to.

"Well for one thing, I can think of another use for that smart mouth of yours." Wrapping his arms around the Slytherin's neck Al placed his lips against the other man's ear. "Want to know what I'd like it to do?"

Shuddering despite himself at the whispered words Scorpius's hands tightened instinctively. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Remember that night you tied me to the bed, trying to bend me to your will? Well what I was thinking about that sent me over the edge had to do completely with that smart, hot mouth of yours." And with considerable purr in his voice Al told the Slytherin exactly what he'd imagined, being just a little crude as he described in great deal how he'd envisioned Malfoy pleasuring him with mouth and tongue.

Breath coming out in pants Scorpius could think of nothing but the vivid images Potter was painting in his head. Not that that was ever going to happen, but he was getting one hell of a hard on just thinking about it. Especially since it hadn't been that long since the Gryffindor's mouth and tongue had been pleasuring him in ways that had had his eyes rolling back in his head. This was bringing it all back and making him hungry for a repeat.

"That is never going to happen." Scorpius finally croaked out when the Gryffindor was done describing his little fantasy, Potter nipping the bottom of his ear for one last painful/pleasurable tease.

"I know. My fantasies concerning you are usually always better than the reality." Unwrapping his arms from around the man's neck as he lied Al set his hands on the Slytherin's shoulder, using them to push himself out of the man's hold. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish my rounds so that I can get to bed. I'm anticipating some very good dreaming tonight."

Stepping away Al grinned at the other man rakishly before turning to head off, amused at the sound of the Slytherin's mumbled cursing. Malfoy would rather slice his own legs off then chase after him, Al thought in amusement, even as the sound of footsteps behind him proved him wrong. Surprised Al glanced over his shoulder to meet the man's peeved face before returning to look forward, not wanting to appear at all eager to hear what the Slytherin had to say. Well that and he didn't want the other man to see the size of the erection he was currently dealing with, Al thought ruefully, looking down. The last thing he needed was the man using that against him. And boy did he want the Slytherin using it, Al thought with an exaggerated eye roll.

"Running away from me?" Scorpius demanded to know, pleased when the Gryffindor stopped walking at his words. Or he was until Scorpius realized he was not the reason the man had stopped as he came to a stop at the other man's side, joining Potter in his staring at the lone figure who stood perfectly still in the center of a hallway.

"Crap." Al muttered under his breath as he shook his head, starting forward once again.

"Is he…asleep?" Staring at the upright but motionless Ravenclaw in disbelief Scorpius recognized the younger Scamander twin, the man's eyes closed and breathing even.

"Yup." Sighing, Al saw a sore back in his immediate future. "Lysander is one of those people who really doesn't deal well with sleep deprivation. He just shuts down when he doesn't get his eight hours, and Lorcan's been keeping him up studying for the NEWTS. Well that and he can sleep anywhere. And I do mean anywhere. One time, when we were four and playing hide and seek, he fell asleep in one of my grandmother's flower boxes."

"A flower box?"

"It was a genius place to hide." Al pointed out. "None of us could find him. His mum had to transform into her Anamagi form and sniff him out. She's a rabbit."

Shaking his head at the strangeness that was the man's family Scorpius raised an eyebrow as he watched the Gryffindor walk around the still upright and unconscious Ravenclaw before coming around to stand directly in front of the blonde. "What are you-what the hell?"

While Scorpius gapped in shock the Gryffindor crouched down to grasp the Ravenclaw's thighs and booted the man up against his back, shifting Lysander around until the sleeping blonde was riding piggy back with Potter hunched forward from the weight. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Carrying him." Al explained as Lysander wrapped his arms around his neck, the Ravenclaw instinctively knowing he needed to hold on. "There's no point in trying to wake him up. He's out."

"You can't carry him…he's too big." And he did not like the sight of them pressed so close against each other either.

Hearing just a hint of jealousy in the man's voice Al grinning wickedly as he poked at his so called enemy just a little more. "I'm used to it. Besides…a man who can't lift his own weight is a sissy and Lysander's lighter than me."

Opening his mouth to lie and say he could lift his own weight Scorpius's words died in his throat as he watched the Ravenclaw, who was now numero uno on his hit list, nuzzle his face against the side of Potter's neck.

"Al?" The Ravenclaw murmured sleepily, still obviously out of it.

"I got you, Ly. You can stay asleep."

"Okay." Lysander yawned, than sniffed at his friend's neck like a puppy. "You smell good today. I like your new cologne."

Lips twitching Al eyes twinkled with merriment as he tightened his hold. "Glad you like it."

Turning his attention back to the obviously peeved Slytherin Al raised an eyebrow at the man's expression before slowly turning so that he was facing in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower with his back to the annoyed blonde. "See you tomorrow, Malfoy. I've got a delivery to make."

Scorpius was too pissed to reply as he watched them go.

)

The next morning Scorpius headed towards the Great Hall with Goyle, absently studying his roommate out of the corner of his eye. His childhood friend was around six foot five and was built like a wall. Most people would think it was fat, especially given what a glutton the man was, but Scorpius had seen the man without a shirt on and knew that most of it was muscle. Rory wasn't ripped, but he was solid. And muscle weighed more than fat.

A little creeped out by the way Scorpius was looking at him Rorake automatically hunched his shoulders a little, his gaze wary.

"How much do you weigh?"

The question coming out of nowhere Rorake blinked at being asked such a girl question. "I don't know…probably around two hundred and sixty, why?"

Damn that was a lot. But still…"So you can't lift your own weight, right?" And Rorake was anything but a sissy, Scorpius thought smugly, that smugness dying a quick death when the man shook his head.

"I can lift it." A man who couldn't lift his own weight was a sissy according to Al and Rorake had always agreed with him. They both lifted weights together sometimes in the Room and they had the killer arm definition to prove it.

"Seriously?" Scowling at the thought Scorpius crossed his arms in front of him bad temperedly. "Do you think I could lift my own weight if I tried?'

Again Rorake shook his head, this time with more emphasis.

Doubly annoyed now, Scorpius could have done without the emphasis. "I bet I could if I really tried."

Rorake thought about pointing out that they could use the Room of Requirement to try that out by conjuring up a weight room, then thought better of it. The last thing he needed was Scorpius trying to lift any set of weights, much less ones that heavily weighed down. The idiot would likely snap his spine trying. Not to mention he'd be a bitch to live with after he failed. Malfoys did not handle that sort of thing well.

The subject of weight dropped for the moment the two were silent until they both happened to catch sight of two men coming from the opposite direction, the Gryffindors absolutely surrounded by giggling girls.

"What do they see in him?" Scorpius muttered, shaking his head at the twits making such fools of themselves over Louis Weasley. Some were probably after Potter, the bitches, but the vast majority of them were members of the Prince Louis Fan Club, perhaps the stupidest club to ever be formed in Hogwarts long history.

"Girls like guys with androgynous looks. They're less intimidating and seem safer."

Looking over at his roommate Scorpius's expression indicated plainly that he thought Rorake had a few screws loose.

Rorake shrugged in a 'what?' gesture. He was only speaking the truth. Louis Weasley was essentially a girl and could talk to a girl extensively about all the annoying things girls liked to talk about. From fashion to good looking guys the Gryffindor could more than talk the talk, he walked the walk.

Thinking about the way girls crowded around the two Gryffindors made Scorpius suddenly realize that he'd never once seen a girl hang around Rorake that way. In fact, as far as he knew, the other man had never had a girlfriend. Was Rorake gay?

Stunned, Scorpius was tempted to ask, but it was neither the time nor the place. And that aside, he doubted very much the other man would admit it if he was. Thanks to Potter making him aware of the consequences of being homosexual Scorpius figured most everyone who was would rather take a long walk off a third story balcony than admit it. Well that and either way Rorake probably wouldn't take his masculinity being questioned at all well.

And the man WAS around two hundred and sixty pounds.

Yeah…he'd be keeping that question to himself.

)

After breakfast it was time to head for class, Defense Against The Dark Arts. As was usual all the various houses grouped together with their fellow housemates while giving a wide berth to those of the Slytherin house. This would not last long however because their defense teacher had received a letter from his girlfriend during breakfast. She was dumping him for a Curse breaker, sending the poor professor into the dark depths of despair and depression. For that reason he was not the least interested in teaching and so decided that the best way to get out of said teaching was to let the seventh years practice dueling each other.

The depressed teacher began pairing people up, everyone gapping with horror when the idiot decided to give Scorpius Malfoy the chance to face off against Albus Potter without any possible repercussions.

Both boys were plainly startled, having had teachers bend over backwards in the past to keep them from interacting with each other. Now one was actually encouraging them to hex each other.

"Oh this is not going to end well." Louis muttered as the teacher continued to pair people off, completely unaware of the volatile fuse he'd just lit.

"Is he out of his bloody mind?" Frankie wanted to know, standing on the other side of Al. "Malfoy will try and kill you."

"I'm thinking more maim. He can't rub his victory in my face if I'm dead." Al corrected, doing his best not to reveal how much he hated the idea of sparring against the Slytherin. Not that he was afraid, he'd been tutored by the finest Aurors the Ministry had to offer. When you were the son of The Chosen One you were high on the hit list of former Death Eaters. Knowing how to defend yourself was a good way to insure longevity of life.

Shaking his head Louis's gaze was mournful. "And I say again…this is not going to end well."

The fact that the teacher announced that the goal was simply to make your opponent drop their wand did little to soothe the frazzled nerves of would be fighters.

Soon all the tables and chairs had been cleared off to the sides so that there was space for the dueling. Several pairs went at each other before Scorpius and Al, most of them ending before they'd begun. The girl who'd been paired up with Rorake took one look at the huge hulk she was supposed to duel and broke out in hysterical sobs. Louis had the same problem, only the girl was crying because she couldn't bear the idea of possibly hurting him.

Frankie's fight against Rosie went well, both skilled and knowledgeable about the other's style. They got plenty of cheers before Rosie finally managed to send Frankie's wand flying from his hand.

Then the moment everyone had been waiting for came.

The two natural born enemies met in the center of the room, eyes meeting and holding for an electrifying moment.

"Scared, Potter?" Scorpius whispered with a gleam in his eyes.

"You wish." Al purred back, his body coiled and ready to spring.

The two starting to back up to give them space to work with Scorpius deliberately kept his voice low enough that only the Gryffindor could hear. "Since you're so confident…to the victor goes the spoils?"

Knowing instinctively what the Slytherin was suggesting Al blamed his response on his adrenaline rush. "I'm in."

On three the duel began and what a duel it was. Unlike the others in the room both young men had been trained not only to fight, but to fight under duress. They knew how to watch their opponent, to read their body language and wand waving. And they knew each other and that made the battle that much more intense. Both were fighting non verbally too, so no one knew what they were going to hurl at each other next.

Back and forth the attacks went, Scorpius using Serpensortia in the hopes of distracting the Gryffindor with the long black snake. The snake slithering in the direction of its ordered prey Scorpius was quick to fire off another shot, this one the sort that delivered a nasty shock to the human body.

Avoiding the curse that resembled a lightning bolt Al pointed his wand at the snake, sending it flying through the air at Scorpius, surprising everyone when he yelled out an order in Parseltongue.

Scorpius was so surprised that he didn't move fast enough to avoid the serpent, the snake wrapping itself around the Slytherin's neck, cutting off his air supply as it squeezed down hard. Gasping for air Scorpius tried to tug the snake from his neck with one hand while he sent a huge burst of flame from the end of his wand in Potter's direction, Potter unable to move out of the way in time.

His robes catching fire Al automatically lifted his wand to put it out, the water hitting the material just as Scorpius's next attack sent the wand flying from the Gryffindor's hand, though the Slytherin couldn't see that he had won as he dropped to his knees, his vision blurring as he started to lose consciousness. Only sheer Malfoy stubbornness had his wand remaining clenched in his hand.

Vaguely Scorpius was he aware of a strange, loud hissing, the snake disappearing from his neck at the sound.

Gasping as air hit his battered throat Scorpius fought to draw the air into his lungs, only vaguely away of Rorake kneeling beside him, the man's big hands keeping him from pitching forward and onto his face.

"Slow, even breaths." Rorake ordered, whispering in Scorpius's ear. "Don't panic, you can breathe now. You just need to make your breathing slow and easy and you'll be fine."

Concentrating on the man's words Scorpius felt his throat relax, oxygen getting past his swollen and battered membranes. Looking in the direction of his opponent Scorpius watched the Gryffindor shrug off his robes, which had been wrecked by the burst of flames. Eyes meeting the two silently acknowledged the danger they posed to each other both in and out of the bedroom.

They both knew they would continue to battle anyway.

"Well…uhm….I…." The teacher didn't know what to say as he stared at his two students like they'd both grown three heads. He'd been too stunned to step in before and he still felt as though he'd been bashed upside the head. What the hell had he been thinking, pairing those two up? Was he trying to get killed or fired?

"It's his win." Al's eyes never leaving Scorpius's. "I dropped my wand and he didn't."

Getting to his feet with Rorake's help Scorpius continued to pant as he struggled to regulate his breathing. Yes, he thought darkly, Potter had dropped his wand first. But if Potter had wanted him dead, he would be. That snake could have ruptured his larynx or broken his hyoid bone if ordered to.

If it had been a real battle…Potter would be the winner.

So just which one of them was the spoils?

* * *

And so I leave it up to you, the reviewers, to decide. Do you want Scorpius to remain victor or have his pride demand he admit it was Al's win? Or do you want them to call it even? Your votes will decide lol.


	12. You're The Spoils Part 1

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put those characters in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it has got to be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

You're The Spoils Part 1

After Scorpius and Al's dueling the teacher called an end to the class, telling all those who required medical attention to go to the Medical Wing. As the last two duelers were the only ones who really needed to be looked over both headed for the door with their friends, who hovered around them protectively while shooting glances at the one who'd caused their friend injury. It took considerable effort but Al and Scorpius were able to shed said friends along the way, mostly because they made it clear they had things to say to one another and didn't want an audience for. Rorake and Louis were the last to go, and both were not happy about it.

Looking straight ahead Scorpius did his best to ignore the soreness of his throat. "You won." His voice was husky, but at least he was understandable.

"Not according to the rules I didn't."

"You won." Scorpius was a Malfoy. Malfoys didn't just dislike rules, they usually ignored them completely. And he had far too much pride to win on a technicality. The idea of admitting to a loss against a Potter was against his very nature, but he hated the idea of Potter humoring him more.

Knowing Malfoy well, Al didn't have to guess at the other man's thought process. And he knew better than to think he could change the Slytherin's mind…which meant a compromise was in order. And it just so happened he was riding one hell of an adrenaline rush.

Giving the man a come hither look Al strolled over to the nearest classroom door and pulling out his wand unlocked it. Pushing the door open Al stepped inside, holding it open for the other man who followed him in with a questioning look. Closing and locking the door behind him Al turned around to see the Slytherin watching him warily, obviously expecting the worst.

Walking over Al reached out to undo the man's tie, leaving it hanging around the Slytherin's neck. Undoing the top three buttons Al gently pushed the material away so that he could clearly see the three tiered bruise markings forming around the man's neck.

"So since I'm the spoils, what do you want?" Al asked teasingly, brushing his lips against the man's bruised neck,

"I'm the spoils." And unfortunately, Scorpius knew exactly what the Gryffindor would probably want in return. He had most definitely not been thinking clearly when he'd thrown out the original challenge. Unfortunately.

"No, I am." Al returned firmly, his own pride coming into play, heightened by the adrenaline still coursing through his veins at dangerous levels.

"I lost, Potter, stop making me say it!"

"You Malfoy's are so damn stubborn." Al hissed in Parseltongue, calling Scorpius far worse in the serpent language, which had his tongue flicking out and against the side of Scorpius's neck teasingly.

He didn't get to call the Slytherin half the names he wanted to before Al found himself on the floor with Scorpius straddling him with fierce desire in his stormy grey eyes.

But right then things started to get very hot and steamy.

So Al wasn't complaining.

)

Fifteen minutes later both men lay panting on their backs, pieces of torn clothing scattered around them like bizarre confetti. A chair lay on its side nearby, but neither could remember knocking it over, much less hearing it hit the floor. Both were covered in sweat, articles of clothing they'd been in too much of a hurry to remove, and identical, satisfied grins.

Forcing himself to sit up Al reached out to grab his boxers, lifting them up with some regret. "Damn…I really liked these." Tossing the ruined boxers back on the floor Al looked over to look down at the man who was responsible for their ruin. "But I gotta say, it was worth it."

Unable not to grin back Scorpius sat up as well, looking down at his own boxers and trousers which were still attached to his legs due to the fact that there hadn't been time to remove his shoes. Reaching down Scorpius pulled them back up, glad to see that the Gryffindor hadn't broken the zipper. It wouldn't have surprised him if he had.

Meanwhile Al had picked up his boxers again and was using them to clean himself up a little having realized that he probably didn't want to get into his clothes without wiping off the sweat and…other fluids off his body. Blushing, the Gryffindor was more than a little relieved that the Slytherin was ignoring him for the moment.

Mentally cursing the fact that his long hair hung loose and tangled Scorpius's eyes scanned the area, looking for his hair tie so that he could get it somewhat in order. Finding it through sheer dumb luck he pulled his hair to the side and bound it up, too tired to rebraid it.

Resigned to going commando Al found his own trousers and stepped into them, sighing when he saw that the hook at the top had been bent out of shape. Bending it back into place Al did the hook up before turning around to hold up a hand to the Slytherin to help him up.

Taking the hand without thinking Scorpius let himself be pulled up.

Then it was time to retrieve clothing, Scorpius less than pleased when he saw the condition of his shirt. Since his throat was killing him from all the yelling, Scorpius simply held the shirt up and gave the Gryffindor a not amused look. Half the buttons were missing and more to the point, the shoulder seam on one side had been torn open.

Looking over the damage Al shrugged without an ounce of remorse. "It was in my way."

Shrugging the shirt on with a scowl Scorpius buttoned up what buttons were left and then slid his robes on over top, grateful that at least that was in one piece. Turning his head with the intent to ask the Gryffindor if the robes covered the damage enough the words died in Scorpius throat when he caught sight of the other man's injured shoulder.

Walking over Scorpius stopped the man from shrugging his shirt on, moving in to study the red and blistered skin where the flames had burned through the robes and shirt. Carefully Scorpius traced around the burned flesh, finding himself unexpectedly disturbed by the mark of violence.

Meeting Potter's questioning gaze, Scorpius did his best not to reveal his thoughts.

Understanding though Al reached out and stroked the side of the Slytherin's neck, reminding them both that they'd both given each other pain before the pleasure. Which seemed to be the story of their relationship together so far, Al thought with a mixture of those two emotions.

"You're a Parselmouth?" Scorpius managed to get out, as he backed away to go find his tie and some self control.

"Yeah. My father lost the ability after he killed the piece of Voldemort's soul inside him. We're not sure why I can do it. One of those weird twists of fate I suppose."

Scorpius could only hope that the Gryffindor never spoke it in his presence again. If he'd ever needed proof that he was a Slytherin, he had it now, Scorpius thought as he redid his tie. Only a true Slytherin would find being spoken to in Parseltongue so erotic that he lost his head and dragged a Gryffindor onto a classroom floor for wild, carnal sex before lunch.

What if they hadn't been alone for Merlin's sake?

And which of them had won that round, Scorpius wondered as he turned to watch the seated Gryffindor put on his shoes. He'd been on the bottom with the green eyed Parselmouth riding him and his erection. It was hard to say which of them had been in control of the pace and thrusting. That was somewhat of a blur at this point.

He'd call it a tie. It was safer that way.

Once they were both fully dressed, and he'd stashed his wrecked boxer in his schoolbag for disposal elsewhere, Al joined Scorpius in heading for the door, the two walking out into the hallways with the idea of returning to their dorm rooms to change into new clothes. Both men were feeling a lot more mellow now so that the two barely noticed the deserted hallways that indicated they were missing their scheduled class.

"So we're even now?" Al asked, looking over at Scorpius questioningly.

"One would think you would want the win." Scorpius pointed out, rubbing his sore throat in annoyance. He'd have to stop at the Medical Wing after he changed, get something to give him his voice back properly.

"Well I will admit to being a little sad not to bend you to my will, but since you would have refused to do it anyway I was prepared for disappointment."

When the Slytherin gave him a confused look Al grinned wickedly. "I was going to have you get on your knees and admit that Potters rule and Malfoys drool."

Scorpius stared at Gryffindor, his jaw dropping.

"Yup, that was pretty much the reaction I was expecting."

He'd Cruciatus curse himself into a coma before he'd ever say that. He'd snog a Dementor with a smile on his face. Hell, he'd CASTRATE himself before he'd ever say that. And Potter knew it too, which was why the man grinning at him so knowingly had come up with it. The Gryffindor knew how much pride he had, how much his word meant to him. Making him go back on that word would be the final blow after the humiliation of losing to his arch enemy. Staring at the wicked gleam in the other man's green eyes Scorpius had only one thing to say.

"Maybe your parents weren't wrong to name you after a Slytherin after all."

)

Louis was seriously worried about Malfoy getting revenge against Al for showing him up during the duel. Of course everyone knew that Malfoy had technically won, but those with any brains knew that it had actually been Al's win. And Malfoy, despite all the evidence to the contrary, was not stupid.

Al had assured him countless times since then that he and Malfoy had worked things out on their way to the Medical Wing but that didn't reassure him. He didn't trust Malfoy not to play dead and then come at Al when he wasn't expecting it.

With that in mind Louis took advantage of his free period after lunch and went on a search for Goyle. Much to his surprise, the Marauders Map informed him that he could find the man in the library.

The Slytherin was hidden from view behind several shelves, alone with a pile of books in front of him as he scribbled away with his quill.

Taking a seat beside the man Louis waited until the man looked up before speaking. "Has Malfoy said anything to you about paying Al back for this morning?"

Rorake shook his head. "He doesn't even seem angry."

Which made absolutely no sense. Frowning Louis tapped his fingers against the table. "Maybe his ego is so huge that he actually thinks he won." The Gryffindor muttered under his breath. "Al said he lost, and that is Malfoy's goal in life. Maybe he was so happy he refused to consider the fact that the win really was Al's."

Rorake supposed it was possible. It was the only thing that made sense after all. Normally losses to Potter sent Scorpius into bad tempered funks that made him dangerous to anyone near him.

Sighing, accepting that Goyle wasn't going to be any help, Louis turned his attention to the piece of parchment the Slytherin had been writing on. "What are you working on?" He had promised to help the man with his schoolwork after all.

"Potions essay."

Curious Louis leaned closer, reading the first few sentences. Seeing an error Louis took out his wand and fixed it. "You wrote tree when you meant three." He explained when the Slytherin gave him a questioning look.

"Rough draft." It was stupid for him to care how stupid the Gryffindor thought he was, but he did. Absently Rorake considered asking the man just how stupid he thought he was, but decided that the Gryffindor would probably lie either way. But he definitely didn't like the man reading over his work before he'd had a chance to at least try to catch his mistakes.

Not commenting Louis again leaned forward to change two more errors, noting that once again the words were both similar in spelling to what should have been used. They were correctly spelled words, just not the right word. Weird.

Instinct had Rorake itching to hide his work but common sense told him that he should appreciate the man's help. Even when he read his work over he usually missed his mistakes, unable to register them as such. Or he changed things, not realizing that he'd had them right the first time. The only time he ever handed in papers that were perfect in terms of spelling and grammar was when Al read and edited his work for him.

Having finished reading over what was there Louis was more than a little confused. The essay was good in terms of content, well researched and thought out, but the spelling… He could remember people saying that Goyles were so stupid they couldn't even read, but there was no way this Goyle could have so well researched a paper if he couldn't. And you couldn't read and understand something if you didn't know the meanings of the words you were reading. So why was Goyle getting his words so mixed up?

Seeing that he was done Rorake shifted the paper out of the Gryffindor's reach. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Louis answered automatically, still very much confused. Spotting a couple more sheets of parchment Louis realized they were probably the rest of the essay. Wanting to see if they were like the one he'd just edited Louis reached out to grab them, blinking when the other man moved to stop him, the Slytherin's much larger hand closing over his own.

Jerking his hand back on contact Rorake fought the urge to apologize.

Just as surprised Louis retracted his hand, leaving the papers where they were. Anxious for a distraction Louis turned to look at the hand that had so easily encompassed his own. "Hold your hand up like you would if you were high fiving someone."

Puzzled, Rorake did so, blinking in surprise when Louis laid his own hand up against it.

"Your hand is huge!" Louis announced with a laugh, marveling at the difference in size. His hand looked so delicate and tiny in comparison. And it wasn't just the different in palm size either. The Slytherin had really long, slender fingers. An artist fingers, Louis thought to himself, even though that was a ridiculous thought. Artists did not look like… Huh…he had no idea what the man's full name was.

"What's your first name?" Louis asked. He'd always been just Goyle before.

Rorake raised an eyebrow, not at all surprised that the man didn't know his name even after seven years. Most people didn't. "Rorake."

"Oh." Drawing his hand away Louis felt the need to explain his actions, which suddenly struck him as more that a little stupid and childish. "It's just that I didn't realize how big your hands were. I mean you're huge to begin with but hand size doesn't always reflect someone's build and so yeah…I was just curious."

"I didn't realize you have freckles."

"What?" Surprised, Louis had to actively fight the urge to cover his face with his hands. He did have freckles, very pale, golden ones around the sides of his nose. Most people didn't notice them, and he worked hard to keep them from becoming noticeable.

Rorake thought about copying the Gryffindor's earlier actions and actually touching the man's face to point out where the freckles were, but thought better of it. Knowing his luck there was a member of the man's fan club nearby, just waiting to pounce, Rorake thought to himself. So he just motioned in the general direction of the freckles, a little amused when the Weasley flushed.

Stupid freckles, Louis inwardly fumed. It was his Weasley genes. You couldn't have the last name Weasley and not have some freckles, somewhere. His sisters had them on their noses too, but they had the option of wearing foundation that covered them up so that no one noticed. And as much as he might long to do the same…he was, despite what everyone seemed to think, too much of a guy to wear make up. Well…unless he had a really good reason.

Annoyed with Goyle for bringing it up Louis got to his feet, thinking it wise to vacate the premises before he lost his temper with his informant. "You'll keep me informed if you hear anything?" He asked, doing his best to hide his emotions.

"That was the deal." Rorake agreed with a nod.

"All right then, I suppose I'll see you later."

"See you, Freckles."

Stumbling in midstride Louis turned around to glare at the Slytherin, the heated look dying at the small, knowing smile that had crossed the Slytherin's face. He'd never seen the man smile before. He had a really, really nice smile, Louis thought dumbly as his heart skipped a beat.

Uh oh.


	13. Louis Freaks Out

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations the poor characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Note: Part two of Spoils will come later lol.

Louis Freaks Out

Al didn't even have time to blink. One minute he was walking down the hall, minding his own business, the next someone had him by the arm and was dragging him in the direction of an empty classroom. For a split second Al thought maybe it was Scorpius hoping for another round, but Scorpius's hair was longer and long honed instinct said Louis.

As soon as the door was closed Louis whirled around, grasped Al by the lapels, and shook him by them violently. "The world as we know it has come to an end. Before you know it Chicken Little will say the sky's falling and my hair will fall out with it. What am I going to do? What are we going to do?"

Al blinked, than cocked his head, not yet too worried. Louis could be a bit of a drama queen, especially when he'd had too much sugar. "Okay…what happened? Did you gain weight again?"

Louis stared at him. "No…wait…you think I've gained weight?" Now his voice was even more horrified.

Al shook his head so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. He was not going down that road. That road led to Louis scarfing down ice cream like a maniac, then getting all depressed because he'd just added to the weight he thought he'd gained. Louis's sisters did the same thing. It was a vicious cycle that made them and everyone around them miserable.

"You look great." Al assured him, trying to look as reassuring as possible. "Never better. So what's the problem?"

Louis's eyes remained narrowed and disbelieving. "Are you sure you don't think I've gained weight? These pants have been feeling a little snug lately."

Oh great, this would not end well if he didn't figure out how to change the subject. "No, they've just been worn enough to mold to your form. And they make your ass look great. We were both lucky enough to be born with the Weasley ass after all. If you've got it, flaunt it."

"We do have killer asses." Louis agreed, taking comfort from that.

They did. "So what's the problem?"

It all came spilling out like a broken dam, how the stupid Slytherin had made his heart skip a beat and how for a very, very brief moment, Louis had thought Goyle was cute. Louis kept out the part about enlisting the Slytherin's help regarding Al, making it seem like he'd just randomly decided to help the poor man with his homework. Only to be repaid by having the bastard cause the unpardonable sin of making him, even for a second, think he was cute, the blonde thought bitterly, silently cursing the Slytherin's existence.

Al blinked as Louis went into a long rant about how Slytherins weren't allowed to be cute or in any way appealing, barely hearing any of it. Rory? Louis thought Rory was cute?

Struggling to process the idea Al's head spun as he tried to keep up. Louis had one fatal weakness, well one besides his vanity, and that was cute things. If it was cute, Louis wanted it. Louis was the only man Al knew that didn't feel even a hint of embarrassment about not only still owning stuffed animals, but displayed them proudly. He got mountains of stuffed animals on special occasions and quite happily kept the best, giving the rest away to children's hospitals.

Rory and Louis...hmmm.

"Are you even listening?"

Al knew that tone and winced. "Yes, I was listening. You're freaking out over finding Goyle cute."

"And he's not, he's so not. Slytherins are never cute and that's a fact. Hot in a bad boy sort of way maybe, but not cute. Never cute. It's not allowed!"

"There, there." Patting Louis's shoulder Al did his best to comfort while inside his head the song 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker' from 'Fiddler on the Roof' played in his head. And wasn't it interesting, Al thought, that Rory's Animagi form just happened to be the animal Louis loved the most, in the colors he loved the animal to have most.

Fate was a funny thing, he mused with a hint of a smile.

)

Once Louis had been calmed down Al convinced his cousin that he was safe from any possible charms the Slytherin possessed. Together they headed out, finishing out their classes for the day without Louis sinking too deeply into despair. The man really was taking it pretty hard though, so maybe trying to fix them up was a bad idea. He should probably get a sense of what Rory thought about Louis too, Al decided. He actually didn't even know if Rory liked women or men. He'd never thought to ask.

Thinking about it all during dinner Al headed back towards his dorm alone, one of the last people to leave for once. He'd been so deep in thought and so busy comforting Louis that he hadn't eaten nearly as fast as normal and all that thinking had worked up an appetite.

Heading down the deserted hallway Al paused, sensing rather than hearing another come up behind him. Turning around Al raised an eyebrow as Scorpius walked towards him. "Malfoy."

"Potter." Moving in Scorpius stopped when he was almost pressed up against the man so apt at driving him crazy. "I have a little question for you."

"Since I'm smarter than you I probably have the answer."

Amused rather than insulted Scorpius met Al's gaze squarely. "You knew that I wouldn't follow through on your request…so why not ask for what you really want?" Lifting a hand Scorpius's fingers danced over the front of the Gryffindor's trousers, stroking teasingly as he smiled a wicked smile. "And we both know what you really want from me. So why not force my hand…so to speak."

Eyes darkening at the touch Al instinctively moved forward, wanting more. A purr in his voice Al kept his eyes on the Slytherin as he answered. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Looking him over Al considered not bothering, but he knew the man well enough to know that Malfoy wouldn't give up easily. So he'd try and explain, just a little. "You told no one about getting me in the sack, not even to brag about it. You don't trust anyone to that degree. There are just some things you don't do with people you don't trust." And here Al lifted his hand to tug teasingly on Scorpius's braid. "There are plenty of things I've imagined doing with you, but I don't even trust you enough to tell you about most of them."

"But I know you want this." Scorpius pointed out, hand curving around the Gryffindor's growing erection. "Not a secret."

"But you don't want it." Al returned, forcing his groan of pleasure to remain unspoken. "And that makes all the difference. At least to me."

"And you're assuming I wanted everything we did together." Scorpius returned, deliberately keeping his voice teasing, not wanting the Gryffindor to get any idea as to the why this relationship had started in the first place.

"Oh but you did want it." Voice going silky and seductive, Al got up on tip toes so that he could place his lips against Scorpius's ear. "You can tell yourself otherwise, Slytherin, but I've had you under me, on top of me. I've licked off your sweat and heard you cry out your pleasure so loud my ears rang. You've come hot and hard inside me and between us, I've drained you to the point where we can both hardly move. If you didn't want it…I'd have never taken it." And now Al's voice took on just a hint of an edge, because he did know why the Slytherin had started all this. "But you'll never know just how much better it could be…because I'm saving my best for a man who deserves it."

Nipping Scorpius's ear before settling back on his heels Al smiled up at the man who watched him so warily. "Sweet dreams, Malfoy. See you around."

And strolling off Al could feel the man's eyes drilling into his back, but he ignored it.

)

Returning to his dorm Scorpius barely noticed Rorake, heading straight for his bed in a daze. Stretching out on top of his covers Scorpius crossed his arms under his head as he became lost in his thoughts. His mind was clouded over by questions, like if Potter had any idea why they'd hooked up in the first place…and more importantly, could the sex really be better? Was that even possible?

Okay, in some logical part of the brain Scorpius knew that the first part should concern him more, but he was only human. And a teenager on top of that, which was why he was far more interested in thinking about sex and just what kind of fantasies Potter was having about him. Just what did the innocent looking Gryffindor want from him that he didn't feel comfortable telling him about? Was he into S&M? Bondage? Domination? The man would look incredibly hot in leather.

Imagining the Gryffindor dressed in nothing but leather pants, on his knees and begging in Parselmouth…oh man, he could come just thinking about it.

And wanting to prevent that from happening with someone other than Potter in the room Scorpius figured a distraction was in order. Before he forgot why it would be a really, really bad idea to head up to the Gryffindor tower and drag Potter out of his bed and into another one.

Turning his head Scorpius watched Rorake for a moment, the man busy scribbling away in one of his art books. When was the last time he'd seen Goyle drawing in his presence? It seemed forever since he'd flipped through one of them, envying his roommate his ability to produce such beautiful works of art. Drawing had always been Goyle's one, noteworthy skill.

"What are you drawing?"

Surprised, Rorake glanced up from his work. It had been a long time since Scorpius had shown interest in his work. Looking down at the sketch and then back to Scorpius Rorake simply shrugged, assuming the other man wasn't really interested.

Wanting the distraction Scorpius got out of bed and walked over to sit on the side of Rorake's bed, holding out his hand for the book. His interest piqued by the other man's reluctance to hand it over Scorpius automatically went to the last drawing done. It was of someone's face, familiar but not. Hard to tell who it was since it was a close up, only the eyes, nose and freckles. It was the eyes that were somehow familiar, and the freckles felt off to him. Like they shouldn't be there. Hmm…

Flipping through the rest of the pages from the beginning of the book Scorpius recognized fellow students, animals and teachers. Rorake wasn't the type for landscapes; he preferred drawing living things rather than inanimate objects. Scorpius stopped when he got to a sketch that had annoyance rising to combat the unresolved lust. Potter was in the middle, with a Scamander twin on either side, their heads tilted against Potter's as they both looked down at the book on Potter's lap.

Watching Scorpius glare at the page Rorake lifted an eyebrow. "You don't like the twins?" There were other pictures of Al in there but Scorpius hadn't frowned at any of those. Just the one he was glaring at now.

"What does he see in them anyway?" Scorpius muttered, more to himself than to his roommate.

Curious and slightly amused Rorake shook his head. "You really do think of him as yours, don't you?"

Blinking, Scorpius stared up at the man in shock, wondering just how much he knew. How much could he know? Damn it, Rorake was too damn observant. Just how much had he figured out? "What did you say? Or should I say, what do you mean?" And now there was a definite edge to his words.

Blinking Rorake's gaze was wary as he answered the biting question. "I just meant that you consider Potter to be yours. You don't like anyone messing with him but you. I've seen you go after your own kind because they tried to mess him up. You'd probably kill anyone who took away your chance to be the one to make him suffer."

Suffer. Suffer was good, Scorpius reasoned with more than a touch of relief. Making the Gryffindor suffer was an acceptable thing for him to want to do to Potter.

Taking the book back from him Rorake flipped through until he came to one that he thought Scorpius would appreciate. It was one of Scorpius and Al when their eyes had met just before the duel had started, electricity crackling between them violently. Just their expression was enough to indicate how deeply tied they were by some invisible shield.

"Can I have a copy of this?"

Blinking, Rorake nodded automatically. "Yeah, sure."

)

The next morning Al went for a quick run and then headed for the Room of Requirement to continue the workout. Rorake was already working up a sweat by lifting weights when he got there, and closing the door behind him Al smiled at the man in greeting as the door disappeared behind him. Walking over to the Slytherin Al took a seat on the Bowflex. "So I hear from Louis that I don't need to look over that Potions' essay of yours?"

"Freckles only looked over part of it. I'd appreciate it if you could look over the rest before you go."

"Freckles?" Raising an eyebrow Al couldn't help but grin. "As your friend I feel I have to tell you that calling him that could very well lead to your untimely death. In fact, it pretty much guarantees it. And if Louis doesn't get you than his fan girls will. And they're more vicious that Veelas suffering from PMS."

Rorake couldn't disagree with that. Not that he'd ever suffered an attack, but he'd witnessed others in his house face off against them and it had not been pretty. The club had started in their third year and there were always four presidents. A seventh year girl in each house was elected by the girls of their house and those girls were legendary for the lengths they would go to insure the happiness of their beloved prince. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were in charge of his protection and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs made their own monthly magazine dedicated to their prince. The magazine also gave reports on what was done to those who had caused the prince problems and a guy who got his name on that list always ended up dateless for the rest of his school career.

"So anyway, why did you decide to give him a nickname?"

Sensing something under the too innocent question Rorake would have shrugged if he could have. "I knew it would bug him. He looks good mad."

"Is that so? So you like the way he looks? That he looks so girlie doesn't bug you?"

Rorake put down the weights and slid out from under them, turning to give Al his full attention. He had a feeling this conversation might require all his attention and the last thing he needed was for his friend to shock him into forgetting he was lifting two hundred pounds.

"I like beautiful things. Your cousin is a beautiful blend of male and female. Or at least his face is. That his looks are androgynous just makes them more original and interesting. I enjoy drawing him. Why?"

"I wonder what his reaction would be if you told him that."

"Given the size of his ego's vanity, I think he assumes his beauty is common knowledge and a known fact."

Okay, he couldn't argue with that. Louis wasn't vain in a bad way, in that he rubbed it in other people's faces or used it to get his way. But he was vain about his looks, particularly his face. And Louis never got tired of being told he was beautiful, so it was a good thing that Rory was man enough not to feel self conscious about saying so.

"Is there a reason you want to know what I think of his looks?"

Since Rory knew he was gay Al didn't feel he was overstepping his bounds by asking Rory his next question. "I was just wondering…what your type was."

Understanding the unspoken part of the question Rorake shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't tell you. I admire the faces and bodies of both men and women but I'm an artist, that's part of what I do. I don't like people in general, they're too busy trying to be part of the crowd to be original. And people that are like everyone else aren't beautiful. Or at least not truly beautiful. If you're considering trying to find me a girlfriend or boyfriend don't bother. I figure I'm lucky not to be obsessed with sex the way Scorpius is. I was ready to smother him last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I don't know who this new girl is but she's got him so wired it's a wonder he doesn't just combust from the strain. He was tossing and turning all night long and that's my style, not his." Shaking his head Rorake thought not for the first time that he should find out who the girl was just so he could thank her for distracting Scorpius from being his usual Slytherin self. Scorpius was so consumed with thoughts of sex that he was pretty sure the other man hadn't said a bad thing about Al in over a week.

Pleased and not wanting Rory to know it Al pushed those thoughts away to gloat about later. "So back to my original question…you've never liked anyone seriously before?"

"If you're contemplating, even for a minute, trying to hook me up with Louis, don't. It would not end well."

"Because you're a Slytherin and he's a Gryffindor?"

"No. It would end badly because I roll around in my sleep. I'd flatten him like a pancake."


	14. My Little Fantasy

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else with lawyers. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

My Little Fantasy

Heading out to Hogsmeade after breakfast Al and Louis wandered around for a while before Al left his cousin to his fans to go get some sweets. Louis was still convinced that he might have gained some weight and so flatly refused to step into any store that sold anything remotely fattening. Al was pretty sure Louis would snitch some from him later, but for now the blonde was adamant about watching his intake. Well that and Louis was rather annoyed with him since he kept breaking out into random fits of laughter whenever he remembered Rory's pancake comment. He couldn't tell Louis what it was about without risking Rory's life so he was giving lame ass excuses that his best friend wasn't buying for a minute.

Walking through the aisles of the store Al paused to studying a new kind of lollipop that resembled a neon yellow slinky on a stick. Could be fun, he decided as he retrieved two from the glass container. Louis would want to try it no doubt.

"Practicing your licking technique?"

A shiver going down his spine Al didn't have to turn around to know who was whispering in his ear.

"My technique isn't your concern." Doing his best to appear unaffected Al studied the candy, pretending disinterest in him or his words.

"That's debatable, but not why I came over here. I've been thinking about yesterday." Scorpius continued, not to be put off. "And according to you I won our little duel, right? Which would mean you owe me, as my spoils. I plan to collect." He still thought Potter had won, but as a Malfoy he had no compulsion about not fighting fair to get what he wanted.

Now Al felt a shiver go down his spine for a whole other reason. He knew that tone of voice. That was his victorious, 'I've got you right where I want you' voice. When the Slytherin used that tone of voice Al knew he was in serious trouble with a capital T. And that was before he thought about what the man had just said. "I thought we'd called it a draw?"

"I. Don't. Think. So. Are you welshing on our agreement?"

Well aware of the crowds around them Al did his best to keep his voice low and even. "What do you want?"

There was a time and place for everything. "Meet me by the Shrieking Shack in twenty minutes. It's far too crowded in here." And trusting the Gryffindor to show up Scorpius moved backward to rejoin the crowd, heading for the door without a backward glance.

Heading for the Shack Scorpius wasn't kept waiting long, the Gryffindor appearing out of the light fog left over from the recent rain. The man was carrying a bag from the sweets shop with him and Scorpius had to smile a little, wondering how much chocolate was in the bag. He recalled well Potter's Veritaserum induced confession regarding his chocolate addiction. It was good to know he could always bribe the man with chocolate.

Walking up to the Slytherin warily Al did his best to look cool and composed as he walked over to stand beside the man, looking in the direction of the Shack as he spoke. "So what is it you want?"

"One of your fantasies."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Reaching out Scorpius grasped the Gryffindor's chin and forced the man to meet his knowing gaze. "I want one of your fantasies. One that you would never willingly tell me about. I want to know what it is…and if I like it, it just might become a reality. So spill, Potter, if you're a man of your word."

Al's mouth opened and closed several times, color reddening his cheeks as he stared up at the Slytherin in shock. "But that's not fair!" He blurted out, his blush moving up to his ears as he considered the man's request. "I'll have sex with you, but I am so not telling you any of my fantasies. That was NOT part of the deal."

"So you'd rather have sex with me, even though you're annoyed with me, than tell me one of your fantasies. Interesting. Just what are these fantasies, Potter?" Keeping a firm grip on the other man's face Scorpius moved in so that their faces were a breath away. "Just what sort of dirty thoughts go through your seemingly innocent mind, I wonder?"

Gulping, Al forced himself to keep eye contact. "That's none of your business."

"Again, that would be debatable. It is my business unless you're planning on going back on your word." Scorpius purred, his voice low and sinfully erotic. "Because you agreed to be my spoils if I won, Potter. And spoils have to do whatever their masters tell them."

Shuddering in reaction Al bit down on his lower lip, not sure how to proceed. He was not about to let the man know his most secret desires, he wouldn't even tell Louis most of those. There were just some things that were too private to share with anyone else. He wasn't even sure he'd be comfortable admitting some of them to his future soul mate. But he didn't want to welsh either. He hated the idea of the Malfoy being able to hold the win over his head. The only possible way out that he could see was to suggest something he did feel comfortable sharing with the Slytherin. But what fantasy did he have involving the man that he was willing to share?

"And if you're thinking of tricking me I'll expect your word it's one you'd have never told me otherwise."

Damn Slytherins. Their minds were just too devious to trick easily.

But then again, Al realized, he would have never willing told the Slytherin any of his fantasies so they all applied.

Taking a deep breath Al forced himself not to reveal any of his thoughts on the matter as a cool head was most definitely needed now. "Fine. But I'll need the rest of the day to decide which one to tell you."

A slow, pleased smile crossing his face Scorpius watched the man closely. "The Room after dinner?"

"I'll be there."

"As will I." Leaning forward Scorpius placed his lips against the Gryffindor's to seal the deal.

On an annoyed sigh Al couldn't stop himself from lifting his hands, sliding them into the Slytherin's hair as he returned the kiss, sinking into it as his body swayed closer. God how he loved the man's mouth, Al thought as their tongues came into play, stroking each other's lazily as they both savored what they thought was their victory.

Finally breaking off the kiss Scorpius enjoyed the dazed look in the other man's eyes, seeing it as proof that he was finally winning at this game they were playing. "See you then?"

"See you then." Al echoed.

)

Heading back towards the castle Al was lost in thought, desperately trying to come up with a fantasy that Malfoy would accept. There was a sly little voice that whispered all sorts of suggestions, and it took a great deal of effort on Al's part to ignore it. Especially since the voice was pointing out that this was probably his one and only chance to have Malfoy fulfill one of his most erotic fantasies. But he knew why the Slytherin had started their affair in the first place and he couldn't forget that. He couldn't share such an intimate part of himself with a man who would have never touched him sexually without an ulterior motive. That Malfoy wanted him now didn't negate that. Or at least that was the best excuse he had at the moment. The truth was probably that he was just too much of a coward to follow through.

"Would company bother you?"

Turning Al forced a smile on his face as his eyes met Lysander's. He hadn't even heard the Ravenclaw come up behind him. "I'm happy for the company." That was sort of a lie, and Lysander would understand, but Al thought the diversion would probably do him some good.

Returning the smile sincerely Lysander walked over and linked his arm through his friend's, knowing instinctively that Al had a lot on his mind and could use a friend. "Need an ear?"

Al looked over, knowing that he could trust Lysander to keep anything they said between the two of them. He didn't need Lysander's word not to spill, they both knew that the other would take their secrets to the grave with them. They'd been keeping each other's secrets since they were old enough to have them.

"I have a hypothetical scenario for you." Al began, continuing when Lysander nodded encouragingly. "Suppose you stupidly made a bet with someone and by losing you…well the winner decided that what he wanted from you was a secret. An embarrassing one that you would never have told him willingly. Ever. Would you tell him…or would you refuse and have to live with the fact that you welshed on the agreement. You know the guy probably wouldn't tell anyone else, but you don't trust him not to make fun of you or…make you feel ashamed and embarrassed. "

Lysander was quiet for a good two minutes as he weighed the pros and cons, Al steering him along the path since the Ravenclaw tended to trip and fall when he was deep in thought. Finally Lysander felt he'd considered the options but still needed a bit more information in order to make his final findings known. "I guess I'd consider why this person would want to know the secret in the first place. Especially if he doesn't intend to use it to blackmail or ridicule me in front of others. And if the reason he wouldn't tell anyone is that no one would believe him over me than I'd have to wonder why he'd waste a bet on something like an untellable secret when he could have asked for something else like money or having to do his homework."

"Huh." Al considered this. Now that Lysander brought it up…why would Malfoy choose something like this? Okay yeah, the bastard would know that it would make him uncomfortable and embarrassed, but still, in the grand scheme of things the request didn't make a lot of sense. It wasn't like the sex between them needed spicing up. Any better and they'd both die of heart failure in the throes. And the only reason Malfoy had started having sex with him in the first place was to try and gain control over him but if that were the case…wouldn't this be the ideal time to put that into motion? Weren't there better ways for the Slytherin to use his loss against him to manipulate and/or control him?

Had Scorpius…lost sight of why he'd started all this in the first place?

And if so…why?

)

Al still hadn't come up with an answer to the questions by the time he was forced to admit that he couldn't put off leaving the dinner table any longer. If he ate any more he was going to hurl.

Getting to his feet Al looked around him and then accepted that there was no one he knew who he could shoot the breeze with. He was doomed.

Dragging his feet all the way to The Room of Requirement Al raised an eyebrow when he saw that Scorpius stood waiting for him outside the room as opposed to in it. Since the man could see him Al had to stop dragging his feet and picked up his pace until he was standing in front of the man who made him feel like prey.

"I was wondering if you weren't going to show up."

He'd been wondering the same thing. But he'd made himself, and now it was time to face the music. Horrible, blaring, bad opera music. "So are you standing out here for a reason?" Al asked, not about to explain himself or his lateness. He'd shown up and that was all the Malfoy needed to know.

"Just waiting for you." Was his casual reply, shrugging his shoulders. "So since this is your fantasy, care to do the honors?"

Doing his best to ignore the butterflies in his stomach Al nodded and then moved to walk back and forth in front of the wall, the door appearing on the third pass. Walking over Al opened the door and then held it open, motioning for the Slytherin to walk in.

Doing just that Scorpius raised an eyebrow when he entered to find the room completely empty without a hint of furniture or windows. The only light came from the ceiling, a small chandelier hanging there to provide just enough light to illuminate the small room. Turning at the sound of the door closing Scorpius gave the Gryffindor a questioning look. "Interesting décor."

"I don't need furniture to answer a question, now do I?"

"You're that confident I won't be willing to participate in your fantasy after you tell me?" Now he was really, really curious.

Normally he cursed the difference in their heights, but today Al thanked the fates that he was so much shorter. Walking to stand in front of the Slytherin, his head just brushing the side of the blonde's jaw, Al spoke to the man's shoulder as opposed to the man himself. There was just no way in hell he could talk about this while looking Scorpius in the eyes.

"I spent the whole day thinking about what to tell you." He began softly, lifting his hands to splay against the Slytherin's chest, somehow finding some comfort in the contact. "Peoples fantasies are a private thing. A lot of what we might imagine are things we would never do in real life, even if we trusted the person we'd be doing it with. And I don't trust you anymore than you trust me. We don't have the emotional connection either, which is even more important than the trust issues. So no, I don't see the point in thinking for a minute you'd go along with my favorite fantasies involving you. So I'm just going to tell you one and then I'm leaving."

Considering this Scorpius wrapped his arms around the Gryffindor's waist, insuring that the other man was going nowhere until he allowed it. "So you think I don't trust you?" He didn't, exactly, but he knew the Gryffindor well enough to know there were lines the man would never cross. He'd imagine the man could say the same about him.

"I don't think, I know."

"Well you wouldn't be entirely wrong." Scorpius saw no point in lying. "But if I were hanging over the side of a cliff I would take the hand you offered."

Surprised, Al craned his neck back to meet the man's gaze. "You would?"

"You're not the type to offer a hand unless you mean it. That and you aren't the vigilante type. Even if I'd done something wrong you'd do your best to bring me in alive so that I could spend the rest of my life rotting in prison."

"Well that's true." Al's lips twitched. "And I'd come to visit you just so I could rub it in."

Scorpius chuckled, well able to imagine the man doing just that. "And you could be my monthly conjugal visit."

Al laughed, the tension easing out of him as he imagined the hoopla that would cause. "Oh yeah, that would go over real well with our parents and the prison warden. Not to mention your fiancée or wife, which ever she was at that point."

"Have you met the girl my grandfather's picked out for me? I'd take a bang once a month with you over having her every day."

Blinking at the backhanded compliment Al gave the Slytherin a questioning look. "Then why are you going to marry her? Why spend the time you have before you get put in a real prison stuck in another kind of prison? Why not enjoy what time you have left?"

"You're so sure I'll end up in prison?"

"You're so sure you won't? If your grandmother hadn't helped my father you probably wouldn't have even been born. Your grandfather AND father would have never gotten out of Azkaban." Al pointed out. "And since you want to be your grandfather when you grow up…well that includes doing things that will get you arrested and wishing I'd drop by for that conjugal."

"So you wouldn't be stopping by for that?"

"Hmmm." Sliding his hands up Al wrapped his arms around the man's neck as he considered the question. "Well I suppose I could find a way, seeing as my father is the head of the Aurors. Plus I am on a first name basis with at least half the law enforcers you'd be dealing with. But still…unless you end up in prison right away, I might be taken by that point."

"Taken? I was under the impression the law made that unlikely." Just the idea of the Gryffindor being unavailable to him steamed the Slytherin more than it should have.

Al shrugged. "Well my aunt thinks she can get the laws thrown out in the next two years. It will only eliminate the legal repercussions to being gay, but I'll settle for that for now. We can always have a Muggle wedding, it's legal in their world. So our marriage wouldn't be recognized in our world, but at least we'd have the rings and the meaning behind it."

"You'd get married?"

"Why wouldn't I want that? Unlike you I'm smart enough to do my own picking in that regard. Why shouldn't I get my happily ever after?"

Scorpius stared down into the other man's eyes, tightening his grip as though he could keep the man from someday belonging to someone else. "And you think there's a guy out there for you?"

Al looked back at him. "I do."

"And how will you know he's the one?"

Al's immediate thought was to point out that he knew himself well enough to know when he loved someone, but he doubted Malfoys put much stock in the idea of marrying for love. And it felt horribly wrong somehow, to talk about this seriously with the man who held him so tightly.

So Al tried for a touch of humor instead, working a grin onto his face. "Well for starters the sex would be even better than what I'm having now."

"Is that so?" Well he'd just see about that, Scorpius thought darkly. He'd raise the fucking bar so high that no one could begin to compete with him.

And there was no time like the present to start.

With the fantasy he was going to get out of Potter whether the Gryffindor liked it or not.


	15. You're The Spoils Part 2

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else with lawyers. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Note: I was asked how you pronounce Rorake's name. Phonetically it would be something like roar-ick.

You're The Spoils Part 2

"Well then, speaking of sex, I think you have a fantasy to tell me about." Scorpius purred evilly, pleased at the annoyed, slightly panicky look that flashed across the Gryffindor's face. What better way to tie the man to him, than by becoming his fantasy man?

Al gave a huff of annoyance, but wasn't really surprised. The Slytherin tended to be like a dog with a bone when it came to doing things that would annoy the hell out of him. Earlier he'd thought about coming up with something really bizarre and twisted, just to fuck with the other man's head, but he didn't like the idea of the man possibly taking him seriously. Or worse, wanting to do whatever that twisted and bizarre thing was.

You never knew with Slytherins.

"All right then." Chin up and back straight Al forced himself to keep eye contact. "When I was a kid I fell out of a tree and dislocated my shoulder. They put it back into place and healed it but it still nags me sometimes, especially during the winter season. I also get a lot of tension there because of sore muscles. I had a cream to put on it to help, but then I had to deal with cream covered hands afterwards which is annoying. Lorcan overheard me complaining one day and decided to see if he couldn't come up with a cream that had healing properties but would also be edible, the idea being that you could just lick your fingers clean afterwards. Chocolate is my favorite thing, so Lysander suggested that that was what it should taste like. They did too good of a job though and I've been known to eat the stuff as opposed to use it for medicinal purposes." And now Al's cheeks pinked up a little. "I've fantasized about getting you naked and rubbing that cream into your back so that I can lick it off you while I thrust my erection between your ass cheeks until I can't take it anymore and.. then I want to lift up your hips and taking you from behind while you use your hand to get yourself off."

And now Al had to break eye contact, staring at the floor instead. Hands sliding up the Slytherin's chest, with the intent to push away from the man's hold now that he'd spilled, Al froze as Scorpius reached down and tipped his chin up so that he had to meet the Slytherin's gaze again.

"Did you bring this cream of yours?"

Breath catching at the look in the man's eyes Al slowly nodded his head. He'd brought it because he'd thought the man would want proof he wasn't making the whole thing up, not because he'd ever agree to it.

And now a slow, seductive smile curved Scorpius's lips. "Than we're going to need that bed after all."

)

The bed they had always used appeared behind them on command, Scorpius starting to strip down like it was nothing unusual. Challenged by that Al started to strip as well, deliberately not looking at the Slytherin as his heart went crazy in his chest. He felt exposed and vulnerable, two things it was never good to feel when dealing with the dangerous blonde kicking off his shoes nearby. But this wasn't that big a deal, Al told himself as he did away with his footwear as well. The worst was over after all, talking about his fantasy out loud that way.

And he was going to get his fantasy, Al realized, his heart picking up pace for an entirely different reason. His breathing deepening as his body harden and began to ache, Al watched Scorpius stretch out on his stomach on the bed with a growing and fierce hunger.

Pulling the cream container out of his robe pocket Al walked over and climbing onto the bed straddled the Slytherin, his eyes hungrily moving over the bare skin, his for the taking. And licking, Al thought as he reached out to move Scorpius's braid out of the way.

Licking his lips Al unscrewed the container's lid, scooping some of the cream into his hands as the scent of melted chocolate filled the air. Rubbing the light brown cream between his hands Al leaned forward and then began to rub the cream into Scorpius's shoulders and back, his fingers digging into muscle as he worked it into the man's skin.

The smell of chocolate overwhelming his senses Scorpius breathed in the scent while he moved his shoulders into the fingers working over his flesh so expertly. Potter gave a damn good backrub, Scorpius thought with a lazy smile.

Once Scorpius's back was well covered Al placed a cream covered hand on either side of the Slytherin's ass, separating the cheeks as he moved to slide his hard, aching erection between them with a groan. Letting the cheeks go Al shifted to place his hands on either side of Scorpius and then leaned forward, moving his tongue up Scorpius's body as he tasted the delicious mixture of Scorpius and chocolate.

Al did this again and again, Scorpius clenching his ass in time with the thrusts while he groaned his pleasure at the sensations the two actions caused.

The Gryffindor hadn't been kidding about his love of chocolate, Scorpius thought dimly, his ears full of the yummy sounds the man was making as the Gryffindor lapped him up like a melting ice cream cone. The feel of the man thrusting between his ass, that talented tongue, and not being able to see what he was doing…well this was one fantasy he supported a hundred percent.

Even before he'd finished licking the cream from the Slytherin's back Al was too turn on and aroused to continue, his full attention turning to release from the horrible tension building up inside of him. Gripping the blonde's hips Al jerked them up, shifting up onto his knees so that he could thrust his erection into the Slytherin in one, slow move.

The sound of Potter ordering him to take himself into his hand ringing in his ears Scorpius fingers desperately moved to stroke his own erection, his breathing harsh and jagged while his lover thrusted inside of him, the position arousing him as much as the feelings it inspired. Good, so good, he thought desperately, his climax building to a fevered pitch as he struggled to keep up. And then he was coming and all Scorpius cared about was the one word the Gryffindor spoke as he yelled out his climax.

"Scorpius!"

The sound of his name being cried out was all Scorpius needed to send him over the edge, shuddering as he moaned out his own release.

)

Humming under his breath Scorpius let himself into his dorm room later that evening, in such a good mood that the strange looks he'd gotten in the common room didn't faze him at all. After they'd acted out Potter's little fantasy he'd suggested asking the Room of Requirement for a place to shower, both of them desperately needing one. He'd gotten to end the evening taking the man up against the wall while the showerheads beat water down on them.

Now that was the way to end your day.

Strolling into the room Scorpius headed in the direction of his dresser, pulling out a pair of pajama bottoms with a spring in his step.

Meanwhile, Rorake head rose from his pillow as he sniffed the air. Chocolate? Sitting up Rorake gave Scorpius a questioning look that the man didn't see. Scorpius wasn't a big chocolate eater, and this smelled like the really expensive chocolates Al horded like a goblin with gold. The smell had come in with Scorpius though, which meant the man must have some somewhere and was now tormenting him with the smell just to be mean.

When the other man was dressed in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt Rorake watched Scorpius climb into bed without anything in his hand to indicate where the smell was coming from. "You should put that chocolate away before you forget it's in your pocket." He told his roommate casually, hoping that he could maybe talk the man into sharing if he brought it up.

"I don't have any chocolate in any of my pockets." Since his sense of smell was working just fine Scorpius was well aware of the fact that he still smelled like chocolate. There was nothing he could do about it though, and it had driven Potter wilds in some truly excellent ways. The Gryffindor had not wanted to let him go, Scorpius thought smugly.

Or he hadn't until he'd mentioned how loud the Gryffindor had called out his name earlier. Then Potter hadn't been able to get away fast enough, Scorpius thought, frowning now.

Resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to get any chocolate Rorake laid back in bed, determined not to give away how much the man's selfishness bugged him. He had just begun to drift into slumber when Scorpius spoke to him.

"Why would it upset someone to call someone else by their first name?"

Keeping his eyes closed Rorake was sleepy enough not to speak with his usual caution. "Because names have implications and meanings. What you call someone tells everyone else what your relationship with that person is. It's like the difference between calling your parent Daddy or Father. You call all the Potters Potter and all the Weasleys Weasley. You lump them all together because it's their last names you hate. Individually they've done nothing to warrant your hatred, but their ancestors have so you identify them that way to justify your treatment of them. When you call someone by their first name it says you know that person and have a connection with them that's personal between the two of you. That's why you stopped calling me Rory when we came here."

"What do you mean?"

"You wanted them to think of me as your stooge, not your friend, so you started calling me Goyle."

Opening his mouth to deny Rory's words the resort died in Scorpius's throat as he considered what his childhood friend had just said. And the fact that he couldn't remember the last time he'd called his friend by his first name in public. He honestly hadn't even realized he'd stopped. "I stopped calling you Rory when we came here?"

"You stopped calling me Rory when you started to care more about what people thought of you than you do about the people who care about you."

Scorpius spoke after a very long silence. "Just when I thought nothing could ruin my mood." Another long silence followed. "Is that why you stopped calling me Scor?" He asked softly,

"Yup."

"If I started calling you Rory again…would you go back to calling me Scor?"

Rorake's eyes opened in surprise, turning his head in Scorpius's direction. "You want me to?"

Scorpius didn't have to think about it. "Yes."

Even knowing it wouldn't last or end well Rorake couldn't help but smile just a little, to know that his childhood friend cared that he no longer called him by his pet name, even though it had taken the man until now to notice. "I guess I could do that…Scor. Especially if you share some of that chocolate with me."

Smiling a little too Scorpius was glad he'd bought some chocolate at Hogsmeade, intending to use it to bribe the Gryffindor later if necessary. Retrieving a bar from his beside table Scorpius threw it across the room, vaguely seeing the man grab it out of the air. "Night, Rory."

"Night, Scor."

)

"So what am I supposed to do?" Al demanded to know, staring at Louis anxiously as they sat in the empty Common Room Sunday morning. It was sever in the morning and he'd dragged himself out of bed so that he could talk to his best friend without an audience. Louis always got up early to primp for the day. "I didn't mean to call him by his first name. I've never called him by his first name. At least not in reality!"

Pointing his brush in his cousin's direction Louis gave his best friend a stern look. "Repeat after me. He's a Malfoy. He's a Slytherin. HE. IS. EVIL!"

"He is not evil." Al muttered, his shoulders hunching in reaction to the look Louis aimed his way. "Well he isn't. He's the Diet Coke of Evil."

"And Diet Coke is yucky and you shouldn't want to put it in your mouth!"

Blushing bright red, Al was so very grateful that he hadn't told Louis what he'd been doing prior to calling out the Slytherin's name. He'd just said he'd called the man's name out in the throes. That was all Louis needed to know, M or not.

"And he's not Diet Coke, he's Diet Pepsi." Louis corrected, after thinking about the comparison. He liked Coke products too much to associate them with Malfoy. "Diet Pepsi is probably even nastier than Diet Coke and it makes more sense for him to be the diet too, since he'd become Pepsi when he goes completely over to the dark side."

The man did look sexy as hell in all black, Al silently acknowledged with a small grin, and he was very skilled with his light saber.

"I don't even want to know what you're thinking." Sliding his hair behind his ears Louis resisted the urge to bean his cousin in the head with his brush. "Look, you just have to make sure you don't do it again, okay. He's not a complete idiot, he will notice if you suddenly start calling him by his first name. And if you trip up and call him Scorpius in public…"

"I know, I know." Rubbing his eyes sleepily Al could only imagine the Slytherin's reaction if he did that.

Feeling sympathetic Louis reached out to pat Al on the shoulder. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Very, very little."

Shaking his head Louis ruffed his cousin's hair affectionately, charmed as always by the way it stuck up at the back. "You go back to bed and I'll wake you up so that you don't miss lunch. I'll pull a Prince Charming and kiss you awake." He added with a teasing wink, trying to get a smile out of his cousin.

Al chuckled and got to his feet, stifling another yawn. "It's a deal."

Leaving Louis to his primping Al trudged back up to bed, sliding between his covers with a grateful groan. Closing his eyes Al snuggled against his pillow, hoping that this time around he'd be able to sleep without interruption. He'd replayed last night in his dreams so many times that Al was pretty sure the whole thing was etched into his brain like acid into glass.

It was hard telling himself that that was a bad thing.

)

Ambushing Rorake at the end of breakfast, something that was becoming a bit of a habit, Louis grabbed the Slytherin's arm and tugged his off to the same deserted corner they'd gone to before. "You need to keep your stupid roommate away from Al, understand?"

Rorake's eyes narrowed slightly. "He's done something to him?" He'd noticed that Al had been absent during breakfast.

"No, we're going to prevent him from doing something and if you don't help me I'm going to make you sorry that you were every born, Goyle!"

A small smirk twitched onto Rorake's face. "You don't honestly think you scare me, do you, Freckles?"

"Don't call me Freckles! You are not allowed to have a nickname for me! That's even more intimate than calling a person by their first name. I forbid it." All but stamping his foot in annoyance Louis glared up at the Slytherin. "And if you think I can't be scary than you're sadly mistaken! I'll make you regret you were ever born!"

"Oh I know you can be scary. You just don't scare me."

A twitch appearing under Louis's eye, the man lifted his hands to mimic strangling the cocky Slytherin, who didn't look the least threatened. "You two are made for each other, really." Louis muttered, as much to himself as to the source of his annoyance. "Why don't you and Malfoy get together and save me and Al the chore of dealing with you both!"

"You and Scorpius don't look that much alike." Rorake pointed out. "And he doesn't have freckles."

"LEAVE MY FRECKLES OUT OF THIS!"

Unable not to snicker a little Rorake couldn't remember the last time he'd teased someone so much. It was more fun than he would have thought possible. The fiery blonde was making it just too easy too, which was icing on the cake. Well that and the Gryffindor's whole face became alive and animated when he was riled. Rorake appreciated the view.

The snicker sending him over the edge, Louis reached up and closed his hands around the Slytherin's neck, giving it a threatening little squeeze. "Don't mess with me, Goyle!"

Just to piss the man off Rorake reached up and placed his hands over top of Louis's, his hands easily engulfing the Gryffindor's. Holding the man's hands against his neck Rorake enjoyed watching color flood the flustered man's face at the contact.

"Let my hands go." Louis demanded, trying to tug them out of the Slytherin's grasp.

"No."

"No? NO? What do you mean, no?"

"And you think I'm stupid." Rorake returned with the teasing smile that had thrown Louis into a tizzy before. "No is pretty self explanatory."

"You are such a Slytherin!"

"Glad we got that straight, Freckles."


	16. Smell of Chocolate

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else with lawyers. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Smell of Chocolate

"I told you not to call me Freckles!" Louis snarled, his color high as he glared up at the man. With his height, he'd never felt small despite his slim build. He felt small now though, and it bugged the hell out of him. It made him feel all weird and gooey somehow.

"You could call me Rory if you want. Put us on even ground in the nickname calling." Rorake suggested, knowing there was no way in hell that the Gryffindor would ever do that.

"Rory?" Blinking, Louis stared at the Slytherin in shock and growing horror. There were people in the world that called this big thug Rory? A cute name like Rory? Why? How could they? It was just so wrong. And now he was always going to think of the Slytherin as Rory, which just made it that much worse! What had he done to deserve this?

Rorake's hands instinctively tightened around Louis's hands for a moment, a reaction that surprised him as much as the sound of his pet name on the other man's lips.

Eyes widening Louis smirked a little now. "You realize you're strangling yourself, not me, right?"

"You'd be blamed." Rorake pointed out, trying to brush his reaction off like it was nothing.

"Rory?"

Turning his head Rorake met Scorpius's confused look, realizing how the situation must look to an outsider. "I'm tormenting the Gryffindor."

Okay, it was one thing for the Slytherin to humiliate him in private, and an entirely another thing for him to humiliate him in front of someone else. Especially when that someone else was Scorpius Malfoy. Drawing back his leg Louis moved to knee the man in the crotch, the Slytherin moving just enough so that the blow hit his thigh instead with a loud thud.

Chuckling, Rorake let the Gryffindor go, more because they had company than because the knee had actually hurt. Putting his hands up to show he meant no harm Rorake backed away and than gave the Gryffindor his back, walking over to where Scorpius stood. "He fights like a girl too." Rorake said under his breath, knowing how to play the game.

Scorpius sneered in the direction of the Gryffindor. "That doesn't surprise me."

Walking over Louis glared at the both of them, coming over to stand in front of them with a fierce look in his eye that said he'd like to bash their heads together. Then, when he was right up in Scorpius's face, his expression changed, first to puzzlement and then to realization. Then the blonde's jaw hit the floor and he just gapped at Scorpius like a landed fish, his fierce words completely forgotten.

"What?" Unnerved by the way the other blonde was looking at him, Scorpius felt the strange need to cheek his face for signs of his breakfast.

Confused as well Rorake turned his head to look at his roommate questioningly, his nose now catching the scent under Scorpius's cologne, which was what was causing Louis to blink like a deer in headlights.

Chocolate.

Scorpius still smelled like chocolate. And now that he was closer, Rorake recognized the scent better too. It was that expensive chocolate that Al liked so much, but it had an undertone that he recognized as the cream he'd put on Al a couple times when the Gryffindor's shoulder had gone out after a work out. And that cream was Al's special concoction from the twins, one he ate as much as he used for medicinal purposes.

The chocolate cream was Al's.

And the scent was all over Scorpius.

And Louis was gapping at Scorpius in such a strange way...

The light dawned.

Staring in horror at the both of them Rorake didn't know which of them he wanted to smack upside the head more. Malfoy for fucking around with Al, or Weasley for allowing Al to be that stupid. This explained everything too, like why the blonde Gryffindor had asked him to be his spy and why Scorpius was so secretive about his new lay. Why Al had reacted that way earlier, to him referring to Scorpius's lay as a piece of ass, and why Al had pumped him for information about Scorpius's life. He'd always known that Al was attracted to Scorpius, but why the hell was Scorpius going along with this? And just how long HAD this been going on?

Two of the most important people in his life were screwing each other when they were supposed to be hating each other. How had he missed this?

Seeing the realization in Rorake's eyes Scorpius's own eyes narrowed threateningly. "Mouth closed, Rory."

Looking over at Louis Rorake stared at the other blonde. "I can sort of understand why Scorpius…but why the hell are you letting this go on? You have to think this is an even worse idea than I do."

"Like I could have stopped them?" Louis returned, his sole attention on Rorake as he tried not to think of why Malfoy smelled of Al's chocolate cream. He'd seen his cousin lick that stuff off his fingers enough times to know how much Al loved…bad thought. Bad, way too vivid images.

Similar images playing through his mind, Rorake did his best not to wince. "There had to be something you could do." He argued, trying to focus on that as opposed to images of his present best friend licking chocolate cream off his former best friend's body.

"I'm doing everything I can!" Louis argued, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "What do you want me to do? Castrate your stupid roommate? Which is not happening by the way. I so do not want to see what a Malfoy passes off as a dick."

"You want to live you'll keep my dick out of your fucking conversation."

Giving him a dark look Louis wasn't intimidated in the least. "Oh please. You may be a Slytherin, but you're not stupid enough to think he'd have anything to do with you if you harmed a hair on my head."

"So sure about that?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow, his tone taunting. "Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do."

"I have to go with Freckles on this." Rorake volunteered before Louis could comment. "He would totally kick your ass to the curb if you harmed a hair on Freckles' head, even if he was asking for it."

"QUIT CALLING ME FRECKLES!"

"Damn, Weasley, volume control!"

"Shut up, Malfoy." Glaring at the man Louis was tempted to pop him one. But he'd probably break fingers, given how hard Malfoy heads tended to be. "And just because you're having sex with him doesn't mean that you're more important. You'll never be more important than me as long as you're you. Even the best sex in the world won't change that."

Scorpius blinked, a slow, predatory grin crossing his face as he focused in on that last part. "He said I was that good?"

At his side Rorake rolled his eyes and tried not to think about it.

Rolling his eyes too Louis poked Scorpius in the chest with a dark look. "That's not what he said at all, Malfoy. And FYI, there's someone at this school he wants in bed even more than you. He just doesn't want to get that someone into trouble. So guess what, you're as temporary a lay as all your other girls were to you."

And on that parting shot Louis walked off on them, hoping Malfoy sat on the idea and spun.

)

Enjoying the cool air that still hinted at winter, Al trudge across the school grounds with his gloved hands in his pockets. The cool air felt good on his face, which was still flushed from the tongue lashing he'd gotten from Louis earlier. Apparently Rory knew now too, so he was probably in for another tongue lashing when his Slytherin friend caught up with him. Though Rory's would probably be shorter.

"Hey."

Turning his head Al watched Scorpius walk towards him, surprised to see him. His lover was not the outdoorsy type. Lover. Bad, bad choice of words. Really, really bad choice of words, Al thought to himself as he waited for the man to catch up to him. He could not afford to think of Scorpius that way. Malfoy that way. Dammit!

"So I suppose your blonde buddy filled you in?"

"That your roommate knows? Yeah." Al shrugged, like he could care less. "I have faith you can keep him under wraps." Rory would never rat them out, he wasn't remotely worried. At least not about that. There was plenty else to be worried about already.

"So just who is it you plan to jump once your aunt gets the laws in order for you?"

Al's eyebrows hit his hairline as he read the look in the Slytherin's eyes. He knew the man too well not to know his tells. Not only was the man serious, but he was pissed about something. Malfoy hid it well, but it was there, lurking behind the storm clouds like approaching thunder. And judging from what the man had just said Al had a pretty good idea what that something was. The real question was… "Are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" Scorpius returned silkily. Getting up in the Gryffindor's face Scorpius knew where to aim. "After all, you screamed my name last night. I know that you know who you're screwing."

"And that's why you never say my name?" Al returned, not backing down for a moment. "Because you're thinking of someone else when I'm inside of you?"

Scorpius gave a moment's thought to lying, but there was something in the Gryffindor's eyes, something that hinted at the wildness the man usually reserved for the bedroom, that said this was not an issue Potter had a sense of humor about. "No. I know who I'm sleeping with."

"Good, keep it that way." And forgetting for a moment that they were outside, in plain view, Al leaned in to brush his lips against the Slytherin's before withdrawing, surprise on his face.

The surprise was echoed on Scorpius's face.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Feeling vulnerable again, and hating the feeling, Al wanted to walk away but just wasn't the type to do it. A Potter never walked away from what had to be done. "Anyway, you must have had a really good reason for searching me out. What was it?"

"Not important."

"If it wasn't important you wouldn't have hauled your pretty ass all the way out here. You don't like the cold."

Scorpius blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?"

Al chuckled. "We have known each other for six and a half years, Malfoy. We're both smart enough to know that it's always best to know your possible threats. You hate the cold, you're allergic to shellfish, and you hate for your food to touch. If your clothes are stained or torn in any way you chuck them, you don't wear anything that's in less than perfect condition. You're mildly ambidextrous, self trained so that if something happens to your right hand you can use your left. Oh, and you have a thing for my eyes. If you can, you're always looking into them when I climax."

Two could play at this game. "You like any weather, but spring is your favorite. You aren't allergic to anything, chocolate is your god, and you'll eat just about everything except for spinach, which you avoid like the plague. You dress neatly but for comfort, labels mean nothing to you. You're very athletic, no sport is beyond you. You work out too, which has given you a very yummy six pack. You also have a thing for my ass, which has the dents to prove it."

Al's smile was crooked as he nodded his acknowledgement. "I do love your ass."

"And I do love your eyes."

"Potter eyes." Al reminded him softly.

"Your eyes." Scorpius returned in spite of himself, reaching out to cup the Gryffindor's cheeks, looking into the emerald green eyes he loved so much. He'd never thought of them as Potter eyes. Strangely, they'd always been this man's eyes to him.

"My eyes." Nodding in agreement, Al stared into those stormy grey eyes, fighting the urge to place his hands over Scorpius's. "So you still haven't told me why you came out here."

"Weasley said there was someone else here. That there was someone else you wanted that I was a replacement for."

That was something important to Scorpius? Al could see immediately that the Slytherin hadn't meant to ask the question and that he regretted it. But it had been said, and he'd answer it. "Louis wasn't lying, per say. There is another man here that I've always been attracted to too, but I've never intended to make a move on him. And you aren't his replacement. You're nothing alike for one thing. And truth be told, I'd rather have you in my bed any day."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

)

Al thought the topic dropped as they walked the rest of the path in relative silence, the Gryffindor amused by the way the Slytherin walked just a little behind him so that he acted as a wind blocker for the blonde. And so it was with a smile on his face that the Gryffindor walked up the short stone steps leading up to one of the various entrances into the castle. He didn't get the chance to open the door for them, Scorpius's hand coming around the grasp his wrist to stop him in mid reach.

Turning around Al barely had time for a small gasp as the Slytherin unexpectedly backed him up against the cold, hard wall, sandwiching him in between it and the Slytherin's much warmer body.

Leaning down Scorpius placed his lips against the Gryffindor's ear. "You still haven't given me a name, Potter."

It took a moment for Al to even realize what the Slytherin was talking about. Surprised, Al looked up, seeing for himself that the clouds he'd thought gone were forming again. "I'm not giving you a name, Malfoy." Al returned, even as he wondered what the man would do with the name if he were to give it to him.

"Why not?"

"Because it's none of your business. You aren't my boyfriend; you have no right to know. I haven't asked you for a list of the girls you're attracted to or have laid in the past. I don't have hours to waste the way you do." A smirk hid how much the idea of those girls really did bother him.

Scorpius wanted to say that anything to do with him was his business, but that sounded so possessive and…territorial. But it was bugging the shit out of him, wondering who this other person was. Was it one of the twins? A member of the man's Quidditch team? Another prefect? Dammit, who was his rival here?

Trying to read the look in the man's eyes now, Al couldn't say what the Slytherin was thinking. Just that the look in them made his muscles tighten as butterflies flew freely in his stomach.

The fact that the man still smelled faintly of his chocolate didn't help either.

Struggling to come up with a way to get the information out of the other man, Scorpius figured bribery was the best way to start. "How much chocolate do you want for the name?"

Ears perking up automatically at the mention of chocolate Al's eyes narrowed. "Sneaky. But you won't get it out of me that easily."

Interested piqued even more Scorpius couldn't help but wonder, "What do you think I intend to do with the information exactly? I've seen you do some pretty stupid things for chocolate before." And that this unknown guy meant more to Potter than chocolate royally pissed him off.

He couldn't argue with that, Al thought ruefully. He'd often allowed Louis's sisters to dress him up like a girl along with Louis in exchange for chocolate. Their parents had the pictures to prove it. He'd done a lot of stupid things for chocolate as a kid. "I don't know what you'd do with the name…but it probably wouldn't be good for the person in question, who hasn't done anything to deserve your wrath." Al finally said, after reminding himself firmly that chocolate wasn't worth possibly causing harm to another.

"What about telling me for one of my fantasy?" Scorpius offered, leaning in the press closer to the Gryffindor. This bribe was even better than the first, the Slytherin thought, since he'd get something out of it too. "It would put us on even ground, wouldn't it? And wouldn't you like to know what I've fantasized about doing to you?"

Did he want to know? Hell yes, he did. But one, he couldn't give the name up for fear of what Scorpius would do, and two… "An intriguing bribe, I'll admit, but I have a feeling that any fantasy you might have involving me would not end well for me, even with a safe word."

"A safe word?" Scorpius's confusion was plain.

Al's face was both rueful and amused as he shook his head at the man, wondering if he should be more surprised that Scorpius had no idea what he was talking about. Of course Malfoys tended to reserve their worst behavior for Potters.

"Yeah, that question alone means it's so not going to happen."

"What? Why? What's a safe word?" Scorpius, as always, hated the idea of the Gryffindor knowing something he didn't. Especially when his ignorance stood in the way of him getting Potter naked and under him.

"Something you would probably ignore even if we had one." Was Al's answer.


	17. Getting His Way

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else with lawyers. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Getting His Way

Scorpius returned to his dorm room in a huff. He'd tried to get the name out of Potter, but a teacher had come by and sent him on his way against his will. It was a teacher's usual reaction to seeing them together now that he thought about it. So here he was, with more questions than he started out with.

Walking into the room Scorpius saw Rorake sitting on his bed, working away at one of his drawings. Giving his friend a considering look Scorpius leaned against the doorjamb, suddenly realizing that he had someone he could ask, at least in regards to one of his question. He'd done a lot of thinking the night before, about how he'd been treating his childhood friend since they'd arrived at Hogwarts. He hadn't liked the answers. He had let the way others viewed Rory color his own vision, until he saw his friend as they did. He had treated Rory like he was stupid because others thought he was. Had he thought Rory was stupid when they were younger? No, he hadn't. And it was time to learn just who his friend had become while he'd been too full of himself to notice.

Taking a seat on Rory's bed Scorpius waited until his friend looked up before posing his question. "What's a safe word?"

Rorake blinked several times, sure he must have heard wrong. "Come again?"

Scorpius repeated his question, not liking the fact that his friend was gapping at him like a landed fish. He'd had enough of Weasley doing that earlier.

It took a moment or two for Rorake to find his voice. On the one hand this was a conversation he'd never anticipated having with Scorpius, and on the other he was seriously relieved that Scorpius didn't know what a safe word was. He'd had some bad moments, wondering just what Al and Scorpius had been up to. "Why do you want to know?" He asked finally, wary of putting Al in a bad, dominated spot.

"Because I hate it when Potter knows something I don't."

Well that was certainly true. Though now he had images of why Al might have brought up the need for a safe word. He did not, under any circumstances, want those sorts of nightmares. But he knew Al well, and so Rorake took a leap of faith and hoped desperately that he wasn't making a big mistake by answering Scorpius's question.

"A safe word…it's something used during role playing or…domination. It's a word that's said when one of the people involved is uncomfortable with what's being asked of them. To signal the other person to stop."

Scorpius was confused. "Why not just say no?"

Rorake stared at him, shaking his head a little as he marveled at how he'd misjudged him. Apparently Scorpius was a lot more traditional than he'd thought. Thank the fates. "A safe word is generally used when…saying no and not meaning it is part of the…fantasy."

Processing this Scorpius's eyes widened as he got just what Rorake was trying to say. And what Potter had meant when he'd brought up the need they'd have for a safe word if they were to enact any of his fantasies. The looks Rorake was giving him said a hell of a lot too about just what his friend and Potter apparently thought him capable of.

"He thinks I'm some sick bastard who would get off on hurting him?"

Rorake blinked, this not being the response he'd expected.

Getting to his feet Scorpius didn't know who to be madder at. Whirling around to face Rorake Scorpius's gaze demanded the truth. "Do you think that of me?"

He was tempted to lie, oh was he tempted, but if Scorpius was going to make the effort to be his friend…then honesty was a must. Especially since he'd rather Scorpius unleash his anger on him, as opposed to on Al. "I would say no as it applies to everyone but Potter. You can't tell me that Malfoys haven't enjoyed causing Potters pain in the past. And you can't tell me that one of your favorite non sexual fantasies has been winning over Potter and having him at your mercy. I wouldn't say I was a complete assehole…for thinking you might combine that need to put Potter in his place and…the fact that you're having sex."

He needed to sit down.

Sitting back down on Rory's bed Scorpius looked over at his friend, not sure what to think.

Rorake didn't know what to say either.

So they just sat there until it was time to head to the Hall for dinner.

)

Rorake felt weird walking down the hallway with Scorpius as they headed towards the Great Hall. It wasn't that they didn't walk to places with each other, but this time he knew that Scorpius was really seeing him as a person and not just as an extension of himself. Not his protective shadow, but as a friend. It had been a very long time since they'd walked together as something resembling equals.

It was nice.

Thinking along the same lines Scorpius wasn't comfortable with the mushiness of his thoughts. He had too much mushy in his life at the moment thanks to Potter. Which also had to stop, he told himself sternly. But for now, he'd concentrate on being a good friend by reminding Rorake of one, important detail.

"You should be careful about teasing Louis Weasley. His fan club has spies everywhere and they're worse than Death Eaters when it comes to protecting their lord."

Rorake just shrugged. "He won't sic them on me."

"And why is that?" Scorpius wanted to know.

"He has too much pride to sink that low."

"I don't think they ask his permission." He'd never dated the head of the Slytherin section of the fan club, but he had grown up knowing her pretty well. Natalia Trenton was not someone you wanted to mess with under any circumstances. He often thought that she and her ilk were one of the main reasons why so many Slytherins weren't interested in joining the dark side. They were either a part of the fan club, wanted to get together with a member of the fan club, or were just plain terrified at the idea of what the fan club would do to them if their evil actions affected Louis Weasley in any way.

He probably should be afraid of the fan club, but Rorake figured that he could actually handle whatever they threw his way. He didn't care if he ended up on their dating blacklist because he didn't date anyway. And if there was someone interested in him that was put off by the blacklist than obviously they didn't want him enough to be worth his notice. As for jinxing or cursing him…well he was willing to risk that for the pleasure of messing with Weasley any day.

And as luck would have it the blonde appeared as if summoned, walking along side Al and a couple other Weasleys.

To Rorake's surprise the Gryffindor seemed to sense his gaze, the blonde turning his head to meet his gaze across the hallway. Deliberately Rorake ran a finger down his own nose, grinning when the Gryffindor's face went red with obvious rage.

Yup, he was not stopping the teasing any time soon.

)

Al didn't have much of an appetite at dinner, but he ate because he knew not eating would tip Louis off. And his best friend was more than a little strung out at the moment. He did not want to be the one to send the boy over the edge.

After dinner Al headed for the library, where he was scheduled to meet Veronica, the Hufflepuff who was so afraid of Scorpius. Standing outside the entrance he was lost in his own thoughts, barely registering the sound of familiar footsteps. But some part of his brain did and he turned his head to watch Scorpius walk over to him with a decidedly blank look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I convinced the Hufflepuff that it was in her best interests to trade patrol shifts with me tonight." Was his cool response. "She sacrificed you without a qualm by the way. She didn't even make me work for it."

"I see." Mentally recalling the schedule Al sighed, seeing no point in undoing the little switch Scorpius had orchestrated. Veronica was with a Ravenclaw he trusted, and that was the main thing.

"Shall we head then?"

Nodding Al started walking down the hallway, Scorpius falling into steps beside him.

"So out of curiosity, what sort of safe word were you thinking of? Chocolate?"

Al looked over at the Slytherin with both amusement and wariness. "I thought you didn't know what a safe word was?"

"I've been educated."

"Ah." Al was guessing Rory, because who else did Scorpius have to go to with that kind of question? His Malfoy, according to Rory, only felt comfortable showing his weaknesses around his childhood friend. Which was sad, but not so much since Scorpius was apparently trying to get along with the man now. That was good, two people trying to improve the Slytherin's ethics. It was a lost cause, but every little bit would hopefully help.

"So? Chocolate, is it?"

Al worked up a smirk. "I thought we established that having one would be pointless."

"It would be." And now Scorpius turned, herding Al up against the nearest castle wall, crowding him in as he leaned forward. "Because we will never need a safe word, FYI. If I hurt you, sex won't be a part of it."

"If you hurt me? You actually think that's an if?" Al's eyes flashed, the Gryffindor leaning forward on the balls of his feet so that they were almost eye to eye. "How could you think that's an if? Are you a complete idiot?"

Taken aback, it took Scorpius a moment to get what the man was hinting at. "You mean that what I'll do later, the life I'll lead…will hurt you?"

Panicking over what he'd just said and how it could be interpreted, how he was now interpreting it, Al blurted out the one thing he knew would completely distract Scorpius from questioning him further about this. "Tommy Ferguson. That's the other guy I like here."

And indeed, it worked like a charm. Scorpius forgot all about his prior question and concentrated solely on trying to remember who the heck Tommy Ferguson was. He might not care much about the people outside his own house, but he did pay attention to the ones worth noticing as potential enemies and rivals. If this guy was good enough for Potter than he should be worth his notice, but Scorpius was drawing a blank.

"Who the hell is Tommy Ferguson?" He finally demanded to know.

"A sixth year in my house, he's Irish."

Like that helped. Rolling his eyes, Scorpius was about to ask for more information when the Irish comment sunk in. Eyes narrowing Scorpius thought of only one person he knew that made him think Irish. "Not that carrot top kid who's face is seventy percent freckles."

"That would be him, yes."

"What the fuck?" Scorpius blinked in surprise. "Him?"

Al shrugged with a sheepish grin. "I have a thing for Irish accents. It totally does it for me. My biggest turn on actually. I like Scottish accents too, but not as much. Unless it's Sean Connery. You don't want to get me started on Sean Connery. Anyway, Tommy is too cute to ever be considered sexy, but his voice makes me melt like ice cream in August."

Scorpius was about to tell Potter how crazy he was when he recalled his own reaction to the Gryffindor speaking Parseltongue. Okay…he could sort of relate. But still…

"I wouldn't sleep with that kid for all the gold in Gringotts."

"I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, I have no driving urge to see Tommy naked. That was Louis just wanting to piss you off. Unless I was blindfolded, and he talked the whole time."

A considering look coming into the Gryffindor's eyes, it was obvious to Scorpius that he was imagining just that. And he didn't like that. He didn't like that one bit.

And sensing the Slytherin's rage, Al figured it was best for all involved if they kept moving. Stepping around the Slytherin Al started to walk down the hallway, looking over his shoulder at the other man. "We should get back to patrolling, or we'll be here all night."

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Scorpius followed after him, deep in dark thoughts.

)

They were nearing the end of the patrol when Al finally cracked under the strain of Scorpius's annoyance. The man's eyes had been drilling into his back since he'd given him the Gryffindor's name, and Al couldn't take all the silent hostility. His gut said that that hostility would have to be expressed sooner or later, and he didn't want it to be. He doubted Scorpius would go for Tommy, but just in case…

Turning around to face Scorpius Al's eyes were direct. "You aren't going to hurt Tommy, are you?"

Scorpius sneered. "Don't flatter yourself. What do I care?"

Knowing better than to disagree, Al tried to distract the Slytherin from the whole situation and lighten the other man's mood. He pointed in the direction of an indent in the castle wall, a marble base in the middle indicating where a suit of armor once stood. "The armor that was there was Slytherin. It was lost during the Battle of Hogwarts. It was said to belong to the grandson of Salazar Slytherin. I'm told the Acromantulas carried it off."

"What would they have wanted with it?"

Al shrugged. "Who knows." Walking over to stand on the marble base Al grinned at the Slytherin teasingly. "Now I'm taller than you."

Walking over to stand in front of him Scorpius looked up at him for the first time. "So you are."

Reaching out Al wrapped his arms around the man's waist, drawing the man up against him. Lowering his head Al brushed his lips against the Slytherin's, intending it to be a quick kiss from a new angle.

But Scorpius was not about to be turned loose and deepened the kiss, his lips moving hungrily against the Gryffindor's now that they had been offered. Arms wrapping around each other automatically theirs fingers dug into each other's robes, holding each other as close as possible. Jealousy welled up inside the Slytherin as he recalled their earlier conversation, and recognizing it for what it was made Scorpius that much more determined to wipe any thought of Tommy Ferguson from his lover's head.

Keeping one arm around the man's waist Scorpius slid the other between them, under the man's trousers and boxers so that he could take the Gryffindor's growing erection into his hand, his grip tight and firm as he didn't bother to tease. He wasn't teasing at all. He meant business.

Choking out a hoarse cry Al stared at Scorpius in surprised pleasure, his eyes closing to half mast as he bit off a ragged groan. "We're in the hallway." He forced out, his fingers digging into Scorpius's back for support as he fought to keep quiet as Scorpius began to move his fingers along his length.

"Yeah, and anyone could come by." Scorpius purred back, turning his head to bite the side of the Gryffindor's neck as his hand continued to pleasure the man struggling so hard not to make a sound. That was surprisingly erotic, especially since he was so used to the Gryffindor being noisy. It made him want to make the man yell that much more.

Eyes widening Al's breathing became strangled pants, realizing just what the Slytherin was up to. "Scorpius, we can't. Not here." Gasping when the Slytherin only tightened his grip around his erection Al slid his hands up to grasp the man's shoulders from behind, hanging on for dear life as he stared into the stormy grey eyes watching him so knowingly.

"I'm not asking your permission." Was his harsh reply.

Biting down on his bottom lip Al's eyes drifted shut as Scorpius's fingers continued to work their magic while their lips and tongue met in a parody of the lovemaking they both quivered and burned for.

Standing there together, out in the open and fully dressed, had the heat factor going off the charts when paired with the wickedness of Scorpius's fingers and tongue. If the Slytherin tried to strip him Al was just aware enough to know he'd let him. He was in the palm of the man's hand both literally and figuratively.

And it felt so, so good.

Crying out against Scorpius's lips Al shuddered and collapsed against the Slytherin as he came, Scorpius free hand holding the Gryffindor tight against him as the man's body shook with his release.

Eyes dazed and more than a little unfocused Al set his forehead against Scorpius's, staring into the other man's eyes as he panted for breath. "Thank you…seems inadequate."

"You'll make it up to me tomorrow."

"Will I?"

Scorpius's smile was slow and wicked. "You said you wanted to know what I fantasized about doing to you. And now that we've established that a safe word isn't needed…well I'm sure you can find time tomorrow evening to discover the truth. I can guarantee you'll be…pleasurable surprised."

"That a promise?"

"A guarantee."


	18. Who's Playing Who

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Who's Playing Who

Louis was waiting up for Al in a corner of the Common Room, and one look at his cousin's face and Louis knew any attempts to try and discourage Al from getting naked with Malfoy was going to fall on very deaf ears.

"Hi."

Rolling his eyes at the purr in his cousin's voice Louis didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that somehow Al had found time to get hot and heavy with Malfoy during his prefect patrols. Louis pitched his voice low and for Al's ears only. "I thought you were patrolling tonight? When did you have time to screw Bond?"

Al opened his mouth to deny it and then figured he was just insulting Louis's intelligence by claiming nothing had happened. "He switched patrol shifts with the girl I was supposed to be walking with. He got…very friendly but we didn't actually do any screwing FYI."

"Very friendly indeed." And damn, now he had mental images that made him both a little nauseated, since it was his cousin and a Malfoy, and also pretty damn jealous too.

Al grinned slyly, settling back in his chair comfortably. He felt very much like the cat that got the cream and was about to give his cousin a couple tidbits when he happened to catch sight of his Irish cutie, that reminding him of the conversation he'd had with Scorpius before the Slytherin had taken him in hand.

"What are you thinking about now?" Louis asked, not liking the look coming into his cousin's eye. Not that he'd liked the gloating look on his cousin's face that much more, but still.

"I think…I might have unconsciously made the unwise decision to…care about Bond. A little."

"Oh please. You're half way in love with him whether you're willing to realize it or not."

Al gapped at Louis in shock. "What?"

Louis rolled his eyes. "Honestly. And you're supposed to be smarter than me. You think that because he hates you that that's enough to keep you from falling for him? Oh please. Goody goodys like you have been falling for bad boys like him since the first caveman knocked another caveman over the head with a club and dragged him off to show him his other club."

"Now there's a mental image." Al murmured.

"Al, love and hate go hand in hand. And you two have chemistry, major chemistry. Level a building chemistry if the look on your face after banging him is anything to go by. You don't have that kind of chemistry without some sort of connection, which you two do have. It's not the healthiest of connections, especially on his part, but a connection none the less. And he's getting to you, Cous. Really, really getting to you. To the point where I've come up with six contingency plans for what to do when you do start to near the bottom."

Al blinked a couple times, staring at his cousin questioningly. "So you have six file folders somewhere detailing what you're going to do when you think I'm almost in love with him?"

"Five actually. The sixth is me killing him, and I figured the less evidence of my plans in that case the better. Well that and I couldn't decide on a method, so the folder would have been pretty empty."

"Louis…you couldn't kill anyone." Al pointed out dryly, though his gut said Louis was being dead serious despite his somewhat flippant tone.

"If they hurt you, hell yes I could."

Touched, Al reached out and pulled Louis out of his chair and into a hug. "Same goes. But you do realize that if I really did fall in love with him, I'd be pretty pissed off if you tried to kill him."

"Protecting you is more important to me."

"Ditto. Though I think your taste in Slytherins is way better than mine."

Louis's face scrunched up like a little kid who'd just been told he had to eat his vegetables. "Don't even joke about that. Malfoy will become a decent human being before I could ever fall for Rorake Goyle."

"Funny, I didn't mention which Slytherin I was referring to."

Louis glared. "Just for that, you can kill your own damn Slytherin."

"It won't be the first time I've wanted to." Al replied with a grin. And he was probably going to want to kill him more once what was between them ended.

He had a feeling that that was going to hurt way more than even he could imagine.

And the reason that it would hurt that bad…was that Louis was right.

He was falling for Scorpius Malfoy.

Merlin help him.

)

Al had intended to arrive well before Scorpius, he was thirty minutes early according to his watch. But when he arrived on the right floor the door to the Room of Requirement appeared automatically, reacting to his presence.

Apparently Scorpius had come even earlier than him.

Shoving his hands in his pockets Al stared at the door like it had all the answers. Since his talk with Louis the night before he'd done nothing but think about the fact that Scorpius was doing more than just getting under his skin. He was getting into his heart too. Which meant that the smartest thing he could do was stay the hell away from Scorpius. Yet here he was, being an idiot, unable to stay away. He was too curious, too enthralled by the man to do what was smart. He was addicted now. Which meant his best hope of survival was to be honest with himself, get what he could of his fix, and then go cold turkey. And he wouldn't be able to go cold turkey if Scorpius was after him. He wasn't strong enough. But he did have a plan of sorts. Time would tell how well that worked.

Doing his best to push aside his nerves and treacherous feelings, Al walked over to the door and opened it, his ears immediately assailed by music. Piano music.

Raising an eyebrow in surprise Al stepped into the room, carefully closing the door behind him so that it made no noise. The room he walked into was gothic in feel, the furniture dark wood and the walls were harsh, grey stone. The right side of the room was dominated by a large, king sized bed, and the left by…a piano.

Blinking Al stared dumbly at the white, grand piano, Scorpius visible over the top of the lid as he played the piano with a skill he never would have suspected. Scorpius had discarded his robes and tie, his sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He looked sexy as hell.

Dimly Al suddenly remembered Rory saying something about Scorpius having given up the piano years ago because his grandfather had considered it too feminine a hobby. Rory had also said that Scorpius had loved to play as a kid.

Not for the first time did Al think that Lucius Malfoy had all the intelligence of a mountain troll.

He was fabulous, and so absorbed in the music that Al was dead certain the man wasn't even aware of his presence. He didn't recognize the song the Slytherin was playing, but it was hauntingly beautiful. He hadn't known Scorpius had something so beautiful inside of him, Al thought as he walked carefully around the piano, doing his best to make no noise. It seemed sacrilegious, to interfere with the music Scorpius was making with every stroke of the gleaming white keys.

Al was almost within touching distance when Scorpius sensed his presence.

Fingers stalling Scorpius blinked, focusing in on the intruder, organizing his thoughts and feelings as he recognized the other man. "You're early."

"Sorry." Leaning up against the piano Al gave the Slytherin a small smile, sorry he'd stopped. "Don't stop on my account. You play beautifully."

Scorpius's eyes dropped to the keys, hiding his reaction to the Gryffindor's compliment. He wasn't that good really, and no real man played the piano of all things. His mother had wanted him to have lessons as a child and he simply disliked having the money she'd spent go to waste. He just practiced every once in a while so as not to become rusty, nothing more. That his lover had overheard him playing annoyed and embarrassed him. Especially since there was a part of him that liked the fact that Potter had enjoyed his playing.

Seeing that Scorpius was going to need more incentive Al straightened and walked over to stand behind Scorpius, looping his arms loosely around Scorpius's neck as he looked over the man's shoulder, leaning his cheek against the side of the blonde's head. "Just one more song? Your favorite?"

"I'm done playing."

Far from put off Al pressed the issue, moving so that he could nuzzle his cheek against the Slytherin's. "Just one song? You're very sexy when you play, by the way."

"How is playing the piano remotely sexy?"

Al nipped Scorpius's ear teasingly. "Because watching your fingers stroking the keys reminds me of how good your hands feel when they're moving over my body, playing me so to speak." Al's voice dropped to a husky, seductive purr. "Knowing just where to touch, how much pressure to exert, now I know why your hands drive me so out of my mind so easily."

A smug little smile crossing Scorpius's lips the Slytherin found himself beginning to play his favorite without thinking, instinctively wanting to please his lover further. The song was fast paced and had always reminded the Slytherin of a hummingbird. Beautiful, playful, and joyous. He had a feeling that it would appeal to Al quite a bit.

Smiling, Al moved to take a seat on the bench beside the Slytherin, straddling the bench as he lost himself in the music, zoning out so that it took him a couple moments to realize it when Scorpius finally came to the end of the song.

Looking over at the man, who was obviously trying hard to pretend he didn't care what he thought of it, Al's smile widened. "I can see why it's your favorite."

Doing his best to shrug that off Scorpius figured he better turn both their attentions to why they were in the room in the first place, before he let Potter talk him into playing for him some more. He had never liked playing for anyone, even as a child. He'd always felt exposed, because he put so much of himself into whatever he was playing. So yeah, a change in both topic and scenery was necessary.

)

Time to get them both into his bed, Scorpius thought as he framed the Gryffindor's face between his hands, laying his lips against Al's as he opted to muddle the other man's brain a little with kisses before they got down to business so to speak.

Returning the kisses in equal measure Al grinned when they finally drew apart for some much needed air, lifting his hands up to place them over Scorpius's. "You know, your hands are deceptively delicate. I never noticed that before. They're so slim and smooth, you'd never think they belonged to a bad ass like you."

Since he had every intention of getting the Gryffindor naked and under him Scorpius decided not to take offence to that as he moved to straddle the bench too, so that they were facing each other properly.

Moving his hands Al reached out to undo the rest of the buttons on Scorpius's shirt, pushing the material aside so that he had access to Scorpius's pale, smooth skin. Placing his hands against Scorpius's stomach Al slowly drew them upwards, his fingers teasing the man's nipples when they got that far up. Smiling a little at Scorpius low groan of pleasure Al's eyes darkened seductively as he stared into the man's eyes.

Unlike his own, Potter's hands were heavily calloused, tough and marked from years of physical activity. They felt amazing on his skin.

The two men slid closer to each other, Scorpius reaching out to grab Al's legs, lifting them up and over his thighs so that they could be closer still. Bodies rubbing against each other's eagerly as they made out, Scorpius quickly did away with the Gryffindor's robes, fingers hard and frantic.

Before the robes hit the ground Scorpius's hands moved to Al's belt buckle, undoing it quickly before turning his attention to the hooks of the man's trousers. Grey eyes fierce and stormy Scorpius voice was low and harsh as he spoke. "Lean backward and hold onto the bench rails. Now."

Eyes widening, his heartbeat picking up, Al looked at the man and swallowed hard as he unwrapped his arms from around Scorpius's neck. The bench was too narrow to comfortable rest his broad back against, hence the order to use the rails. Slowly leaning backward Al reached down to grasp the rails under the bench, fingers tightly wrapping around the thin pieces of wood.

He had a feeling he was going to need all the support he could get.

A flush coming over his cheeks Al lifted his hips when asked, Scorpius sliding both the trousers and the boxers down as far as they could go.

"Allow me." Reaching for his wand, which had been digging into his back anyway, Al pointed the wand at his trousers and boxers, making them disappear from his body, reappearing on the floor a short distance away. Letting his wand fall back to the floor Al returned his hand to the railing, just in time too.

As soon as the wand hit the floor Scorpius moved in to take what he wanted with predator's speed.

While Al held on for dear life Scorpius slid both his hands between the Gryffindor's thighs, sliding one finger and than two into the man's ass while the other hand wrapped around Al's growing erection, working him over fast and hard while the Gryffindor pleaded for more.

Moving his hips in time with the thrusts of Scorpius's fingers, Al's head fell back as he lost himself in the pleasure his lover inspired, not bothering or able to suppress his reactions as he moaned and pleaded with the Slytherin to take more, give him more. Because he wanted it all and he wanted it now.

"You want more? I'll give you more." Removing his hands from his lover's body Scorpius slowly licked the fingers he'd wrapped around the Gryffindor's erection, shivering with anticipation as Al squirmed against him, green eyes going unfocused as the Gryffindor fought back the need to whimper pitifully.

Scorpius was tempted to see if he could make the Gryffindor beg this time, but he was too desperate to be inside the man to do anymore teasing. Hastily undoing his belt and trousers Scorpius leaned forward and slid his hands under the Gryffindor's ass, lifting him up and into position so that he could thrust inside his lover in one, smooth thrust.

Groaning at how wet and ready for him his man was Scorpius bit down hard on his bottom lip as the Gryffindor dug his heels into his back, making the thrusts that much harder, which was just fine with him.

Panting hard Scorpius felt his climax building as he stared down at his disheveled lover, lying there before him like an offering, helpless and at his mercy. And Potter was loving every minute of it from the look in those fiery green eyes, Scorpius thought fiercely, licking his lips as the need built and built to unbearable levels.

"More. Harder. Please." Al groaned, panting hard as his heart crashed up against his chest as Scorpius's fingers dug hard into his hips. "Right there, just right…Oh…oh….yes, right….so good…Scorpiusssssssss!"

Shuddering as the Gryffindor climaxed under him Scorpius slammed himself inside the man, shaking with the pleasure as Al tightened all around him as he rode out his own climax. Abandoning all finesse and control Scorpius gave himself over to his pleasure and within seconds came hard, collapsing against the Gryffindor with a drawn out groan of absolute completion.

)

When he had the strength to move Scorpius sat up and reached down to grasp his lover's upper arms, drawing the Gryffindor up against him so that there was no risk of him falling off the bench. When the other man collapsed against his chest like a limp noodle Scorpius just grinned, nuzzling his face against the side of the man's neck as he savored the closeness.

Eyes opening lazily Al slowly became aware of the fact that his right hand stung. Absently he lifted it up, peering at it from over Scorpius's shoulder. Huh. Damn. You'd have thought he'd have felt it earlier. Of course he had been pretty busy, Al thought with a well satisfied grin, thinking that even now it should probably be hurting more than it did.

"Question. Since the things in this room aren't real…do you think a chunk of wood it produced would still be in my skin once I left?"

"What?"

"I have the mother of all splinters in my hand."

"Crap, let me see."

Holding out his hand for inspection Al watched Scorpius study the splinter, eyes widening with surprise as the Slytherin carefully grasped the end of the wood shard and slid it out with one quick movement. It bled a little, but not enough to be worrisome.

Flexing his hand Al grinned at the Slytherin sheepishly. "Guess I hung on a little too hard."

Scorpius nipped the Gryffindor's ear teasingly. "Just hang on to me now, I won't give you a splinter."

Al nipped the man's ear right back with a laugh. "You'll give me something bigger later."

"That was the plan, yes."


	19. Saving Face

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!

Saving Face

After exchanging more kisses and caresses the two men wisely moved to the available bed, stripping as they went so that they were naked under the covers as they lay on their backs, watching each other. They weren't quite up to jumping each other, but they were working on it.

A faint smile on his lips, Al didn't even realize he was humming the song playing in his head until Scorpius called his attention to it, asking what the song was called. "You wouldn't know it." Al answered with a slightly wider smile. "It's an old Muggle song. My father has been known to sing it in pubs when he's had too much to drink. It's a standard for bars; it's called 'Piano Man'."

Understanding why the song would be in the Gryffindor's head after what they'd just done, Scorpius became even more curious to know how else it might relate to him. Not to mention the fact that the tune had been catchy. "It has lyrics then? What are they about?"

Surprised at the Slytherin's interest Al shrugged, doing his best to remember the lyrics since it had been a while since he'd heard them. "I think it's about people in a bar and how they go there to drown their sorrows in liquor and music. The whole idea that life seems a little more bearable when you're surrounded by friends and beautiful music." And eyebrows furrowing in concentration Al lightly sang the chorus,

'Sing us a song, you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you got us feeling alright'

"You can carry a tune." Scorpius noted with a small smile. He hadn't known that.

"Thanks." Leaning over Scorpius Al gave the man a teasing kiss of thanks, just a light brushing of lips that turned into something deeper when Scorpius reached up to hold Al's head in place, allowing him to take control of the kiss and drink his fill. Al's eyes closing in pleasure when Scorpius lips moved from his lips to his neck, Al breathed Scorpius's name in a dreamy sigh of contentment.

Scorpius's lips curved against the Gryffindor's neck. "You're making the habit of that, calling me by my first name. Why is that, I wonder?"

Opening his eyes Al knew Scorpius had just given him the opening he needed to kick start his plan. He was falling for the Slytherin, and Al didn't know how to stop himself from hitting rock bottom. And that meant that he needed his lover to stop him instead. And the best way to do that was to encourage Scorpius to do something that he wouldn't be able to forgive the Slytherin for. And he wouldn't be able to forgive the man if the Slytherin used his love as a weapon. So his course of action was simple.

He'd let Scorpius think his original plan was succeeding and let the Slytherin take it from there.

Staring into the pillow Scorpius's head rested on, Al kept his voice light and calm while Scorpius continued to lovingly kiss the side of his neck. "Why do I keep slipping up and calling you by your first name? I guess I'm suffering from what my Aunt Hermione would call a Freudian slip. I'm starting to think of you as Scorpius in my mind."

Unknowingly Scorpius fell straight into the trap when he asked, "And why is that, do you suppose?"

The moment of truth.

"Because I'm falling in love with you, I guess. A situation I never expected to find myself in, let me tell you. But there you go."

And it had been said.

Lips stilling against the Gryffindor's neck Scorpius froze, sure he must have heard his lover wrong. Drawing back so that they were almost nose to nose Scorpius stared into the Gryffindor's emerald green eyes, finding them tranquil, but deep and dark with secrets. He couldn't see what lay beyond the surface, and was too stunned to really try anyway.

"You're what?" His voice perilously close to a croak, Scorpius's fingers reached out to brush Al's bags aside, wanting a clear view of the Gryffindor's face.

"Don't look so worried, Malfoy. I'm sure it's not catching." Al teased, deliberately emphasizing Scorpius's last name. Keep it light, Al chanted over and over in his head. It's the only way you'll get through this without him seeing through you and making this that much worse.

Scorpius just stared at his lover blankly now, his brain unable to register the implications of what the Gryffindor had just insinuated. Somewhere in his brain it registered that this had been his original goal, but he'd forgotten that somewhere along the way. He'd told himself a couple weeks ago that the plan had been a stupid one, and that it would never work since all his attempts to charm the man had seemed to go right over the Gryffindor's head. He'd thought there was nothing but amazing sex between them, and that had become more than enough for him. Now Potter was saying that he was...was...falling for him and Scorpius didn't know what to do with that, say to that. How had this happened without him noticing?

A little taken aback by the look on Scorpius's face Al didn't know what to make of his lover's reaction to his words. The Slytherin looked like he'd just told him that they'd been switched at birth and Scorpius was the real son of Harry Potter. The expressions Scorpius was making were funny enough that the smile that slid onto Al's face was a real one as he opted to change the subject for both their sakes.

"Shocked speechless, huh? Let me help you find your voice again."

Putting his tongue to good use Al soon had the Slytherin making sounds again, though he had to move pretty far down his lover's body before he succeeded in rendering Scorpius unable to remember what had shocked him into silence in the first place.

)

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes the next morning Rorake sat up in his bed, yawning hugely as he blinked sleepily. Turning his head instinctively, Rorake'e eyebrows raised to his hairline as he caught sight of his rather dishevelled roommate, who was also sitting up in his bed. "Did you sleep at all?"

Scorpius had come in the night before in a daze, and hadn't said two words to him before crawling into bed like a mindless Inferius. His roommate had still been wide awake when he'd finally gotten to sleep and looking over at his roommate Rorake could see that the other man had gotten little to no sleep, as Scorpius definitely looked the worse for wear.

Rubbing his own eyes as he shook his head, Scorpius looked over at his concerned friend. It was degrading to admit it, but once again he was feeling pathetic enough to ask Rorake for some needed advice. "What's the difference between falling in love and being in love? And no, I'm not asking for personal reasons, it's just a question."

Just a question, huh? Rorake doubted that. The question must have been what had kept Scorpius up all night, whether his friend was willing to admit it or not. But he was also pretty sure he didn't have to worry about Scorpius and Al falling for each other, since Al was too smart for that and Scorpius too dense. No one did self denial like a Malfoy, not even a Black. So why was Scorpius asking it?

"Love isn't exactly my area of expertise." Rorake said after a thoughtful pause.

"I didn't think it was. I'm just asking for you opinion." He needed someone else's opinion after all and Rory was the only one he could trust not to ask questions he wasn't prepared to answer.

Rorake shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about the question seriously in case Scorpius had a serious reason for asking him. After a couple minutes of deliberation Rorake came up with what he thought was a very good answer considering his brain hadn't even fully engaged yet. "I think when you're in love with someone you have a connection that can't ever be broken. Even if you break up, it's the sort of bond that remains whether you like it or not. You're giving a piece or all of your heart to that person, and that person has that piece to do with as they like. When you're just falling, you're building that connection, it isn't fully formed yet. You're still deciding how big a piece of your heart to give away."

After a thoughtful pause Scorpius cocked his head thoughtfully to the side. "That's deep."

Rorake smiled at Scorpius's deadpan delivery. "Thanks, I think."

Scorpius considered Rorake's words, having actually meant his own response as a compliment. He'd never had love described to him in a way he could understand before. Normally people talked about it in really flowery, cheesy terms, or they talked about it like a fate worse than death. But the way Rorake explained it made more sense to him. The idea of giving someone else power over you, for better or for worse. And a connection that bond you together despite everything the world could throw at it.

"So why are you asking me about love?" Rorake asked when Scorpius didn't comment further. "You Malfoys hate that stuff."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at that. "We hate love?"

Rorake nodded, having no doubt about this. "Its standard procedure for you guys to hate what you can't understand. Your ties are always conditional. I mean your marriages are arranged, you disown any family member that doesn't follow your code of conduct, and you have no problem sacrificing your children for what you think is the greater good. I bet your grandfather would question your mental sanity if you asked him if he loves your grandmother or Draco. Or should I say, if he ever loved them. He doesn't now anyway."

Eyes narrowing threateningly, Scorpius's ire was obvious even from across the room.

But sensing that this might be important, Rorake continued at his own peril. "The truth hurts."

"And you're so sure that you're right."

"I've known you all our lives, Scorpius. I've known your family my whole life too. Lucius Malfoy's love is absolutely conditional, and that's if you can call it love. Which I wouldn't, by the way. Love, real love, is absolutely unconditional. When you love someone, their happiness matters more than your own. Your grandfather has always been willing to sacrifice his family for what he wants. That's why your father is the way he is. That's why my father is the way he is too. They were both stuffed into the molds their fathers made for them and it broke them."

Pissed off and disturbed by the emotions Rorake's words inspired Scorpius looked away, trying to dismiss the man and his inflammatory words.

"Ending the conversation won't change the facts." Rorake pointed out carefully as he pushed aside his covers and got out of bed, standing in front of it with his body facing Scorpius's. His wand was still on his nightstand, and part of him itched to have it in his hand as a sort of insurance policy. But Rorake kept his hands at his sides, and hoped they wouldn't come to blows over this as he pushed the topic. "And it must be on your mind, for you to ask me about it."

Throwing back his own covers Scorpius slid out of his bed as well, getting up so that he was facing Rorake on level ground. "And I was stupid to ask you about love. Like you said, you don't know much about it."

"But I want to. I want to find the love of my life and I'm not afraid to do what's necessary to have that." Rorake stated firmly.

"I'm not afraid of love." Scorpius shot back harshly.

"Then why aren't you looking for it?"

"This conversation is over."

And it was. For now.

)

Strolling down one of the school's hallway later on, Rorake was so lost in thought that he almost missed the sight of a familiar figure just ahead of him. The hallway was all but deserted and his line of vision was clear, the Slytherin admiring the sway of the man's hips as the Gryffindor marched down the hallway like he owned it. He probably did in his egotistical mind, Rorake thought with a small smile. The man's fan club probably promoted that delusion.

Amused with himself and his girlie Weasley Rorake picked up his pace, planning to come up behind the Gryffindor and scare the hell out of him. All but rubbing his hands in glee Rorake was almost within reaching distance when the man whirled around to give him a suspicious, knowing look. The man had heard him coming apparently.

"What were you going to do?" Louis demanded to know, his hands going to his hips.

Which was such a girlie thing to do, Rorake thought to himself as he answered the Gryffindor with a careless shrug. "I was planning on scaring the hell out of you."

Lips twitching at the Slytherin's blunt honesty Louis almost smiled, just catching himself in time. Instead he worked up a scowl, not about to admit that he found the cocky jerk's intended behaviour remotely cute. And it was sort of cute, the way the Slytherin's eyes danced with mischief under those long, inky black lashes.

"Try to sneak up on me again and I'll jinx you."

Rorake just shrugged, dismissing the threat with ease. He'd grown up surrounded by Death Eaters, it took a lot to scare him. And he liked it when Louis was fired up. He was beginning to like the Gryffindor period.

Huffing in exasperation Louis spun around to give the Slytherin his back, moving to continue his stroll like he'd never noticed his hulking extra shadow. Lifting a hand to wave at his Potion's professor, who was walking towards him, Louis ignored the fact that he could feel Rorake's eyes boring into his back as he stopped beside the potion's professor's office door, intending to hold it open for him.

Professor Blackwood wasn't capable of returning the wave thanks to the large box in his hands, but he smiled a greeting at both of his students as he slowly made his way over to them.

Neither Louis nor the professor noticed the Fanged Frisbee whizzing through the air, aiming right for them.

But Rorake saw it coming and who it was headed for. Without thinking it through Rorake reached Louis in three long strides and yanked the blonde back against his chest just at the Frisbee flew in front of the Gryffindor's face, missing the blonde's pert nose by millimetres.

The Frisbee hit the wall with a loud bang, bouncing off of it to head straight for the Potion's professor. The so called toy hitting the poor man square in the forehead, the man was unconscious before he hit the floor. Collapsing onto his back the box the professor had been carrying fell on top of him, its contents spilling all over his upper body with some very bad results.

Hands shaking Louis reached up to place his over the larger ones wrapped around his waist, staring down at their overlapping hands for a moment before slowly turning his head to stare at the wall, which bore a dark streak from the paint that had been scrapped off the Frisbee on impact.

Spotting the offending object as it continued to bounce along to hallway Rorake distangled their fingers and withdrawing his wand caused the offending object to blow apart into little pieces. Good riddens to fanged rubbish. And now that he was sure the Frisbee posed no threat to Louis Rorake detached himself from the Gryffindor with a surprising amount of reluctance.

Leaving the dazed blonde for the moment Rorake took the steps necessary to reach his teacher's side, needing to see just how much medical attention their Potion's teacher was going to require. A lot, if he was any judge, Rorake thought as he winced in sympathy, careful not to touch any of the liquids that had leaked all over the man. Their teacher no longer had a mouth that he could see, and those were definitely antlers sprouting out of the man's head.

Walking over to stand at Rorake's side, Louis stared blindly at the damage the Frisbee had inadvertably caused. Blinking several times more Louis turned and tugged on the sleeve of Rorake's robes like a little kid wanting someone's attention.

Looking over at him Rorake raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"You saved my face."

Knowing the value Louis put on his face's perfection Rorake smiled just a little as he turned to face the Gryffindor. "So I did."

"You saved my face." Louis repeated again, reaching out to grab Rorake by his lapels.

And without another word the Gryffindor pulled the surprised Slytherin in for a quick, hard kiss that had a shock of chemistry sizzling through both their bodies.

The kiss over as quickly as it had begun, Louis breaking it off with a shocked look on his face. Cheeks going red Louis stumbled away from the Slytherin, who was watching him with a detached sort of interest. Pissed off by that Louis blushed that much more, horrified by what he'd just done. "If you tell anyone I did that I'll deny it to my dying breath." He finally threatened, trying to sound tough.

"A kiss like that isn't worth bragging about."

Gasping in outraged fury Louis said several demeaning and insulting things about the Slytherin in French before marching off, calling over his shoulder that he was going to go get their teacher some medical help.

Rorake watched the Gryffindor go, absently licking his lips to savour the taste of the saucy Gryffindor. Well, Rorake thought as he turned back to look at their fallen teacher. That was definitely something he'd like to have happen again.

And wasn't that interesting.

Very interesting.


	20. Forest From The Trees

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way things are. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Forest From The Trees

Scorpius was in a piss poor mood and had no one to bitch to since he currently wasn't talking to Rorake. Having spent his whole day in a snit Scorpius was ready to chew glass when he caught sight of his other problem bundled up for the outdoors. Since they both should have been on their way to dinner Scorpius marched over to the Gryffindor and demanded to know why he wasn't on his way to dinner too.

Blinking at the ferocity of Scorpius's question Al didn't have to be a genius to know someone was having a bad day. "I'm not going to dinner. I'm going to the Forest."

"You're what?"

Al winced at the volume of Scorpius's response. "I'm going to the Forbidden Forest. There might be an infestation of lunar levils killing the trees in the area the unicorns use for raising their foals. If there is than it has to be dealt with now, before too many trees are infected. Hagrid can't do it, he's caught a bad cold and Madam Pomfrey has ordered him to stay in bed under penalty of death. Professor Longbottom can't do it either, the centaurs are still really pissed at him for taking clippings of a plant they apparently consider sacred."

A twitch appearing under Scorpius's right eye, it was all the blonde could do not to shake the idiot. "They aren't the only ones who wouldn't come out alive, you stupid git. You have no business going in there alone, much less at night! Do you know what's in there?"

"Scorpius, I know more about what's in there than you do. And I have to go at night; you can't see the bloody things in the daylight." Shrugging off the danger Al didn't see what all the fuss was about, or why Malfoy would care for that matter. Slytherins generally liked the idea of Potters being mauled by possibly deadly creatures. Not that that would happen of course, but Scorpius obviously thought it was a possibility.

"You aren't going."

"I am going."

"I just said you aren't!" Scorpius shot back, lower his head so that he could glower at the Gryffindor properly as he put restraining hands on the other man's shoulders. "You are not going out there to risk your life for some stupid trees and that's final."

"Wait…are you…worried about me?" The thought only now dawning on him Al stared up at Malfoy with uncertainty.

Realizing that he was, Scorpius automatically dropped his hands and shoved them into his pockets, his shoulders hunching as he tried to come up with a better explanation for his behavior. He'd even forgotten about his conversation with Rorake, he'd been that disturbed by the idea. The idea of his lover being in a dangerous situation…scared him. And he was not a man who was scared of anyone or anything. The idea of something bad happening to the man should make him happy, especially a potentially painful death by way of something like an Acromantula colony. Dammit, what was wrong with him today?

"I have to go, Malfoy. If you want, I'll send you a message when I get back so that you know I made it out all right. You know Louis will send out the search parties if I'm late getting back." His voice softening Al smiled as he did his best not to show how gooey he felt, knowing that the man did care somewhat about his safety. Even if it was just about the sex, it was definitely a step up from the way the Slytherin had felt about him before.

Scorpius considered and dismissed that idea, but was smart enough to know that being a typical Potter, his lover would go regardless of what he said, did, or threatened. Even if he used a spell to stop him now, Al would find a way later on to do what he wanted. Potters excelled at that.

"I'm going with you then."

Gapping at the Slytherin Al could not believe what the man had just said. "Are you out of your mind? How would you coming along be remotely helpful? You'd only slow me down and you'd probably bitch and complain the whole way there AND back."

"Don't make me hurt you."

Fighting back the urge to massage his temples Al pointed out the obvious in the hopes of saving himself a massive migraine. "You aren't dressed to go outside. You'd freeze wearing that. The winds have really picked up out there since morning."

"Well by the time YOU get us something to eat on our way from the house elves, talk to Hagrid about whatever it is we're going to be doing, and collect the supplies I assume we'll be taking, I should be able to get my winter coat on and meet you by the forest's edge. And if you even think about going in there without me you'll be supremely sorry." He added threateningly.

"I'm already supremely sorry and we haven't even started yet."

"Go get us food, Potter." Scorpius ordered, then not waiting for Al's agreement set off to get his winter gear together.

Watching the Slytherin go Al shook his head in exasperation. "Less than twenty four hours since I used the L word and already he thinks he's the boss of me. Nag, nag, nag, nag!"

)

And so an hour behind schedule Al finally made it into the forest with Scorpius at his side. The woods were mostly silent and black, illuminated only by the lantern Al carried in his left hand. So far the Slytherin had yet to say a word, but Al figured that was because the man was just contrary enough to hold in his bitching just so that he could rub that in his face later. But since they did have a bit of a walk in front of them Al didn't see the need for total silence as he swallowed a bite of his sandwich. "So why were you in a bad mood before?" He asked, nimbly hopping over a fallen tree branch.

Carefully stepping over the branch since Malfoys didn't hop Scorpius shrugged, than decided what the hell, he'd been wanting to bitch to someone all day and the man had asked. His whole conversation with Rory spewing out of him Scorpius felt surprisingly better once he'd finished his rant about how big of a bastard Rorake was to suggest that his family didn't love him.

Having finished his sandwich while he'd listened Al dusted the crumbs off his coat while he pondered the conversation his lover and friend had apparently had. "Did you consider that he might be trying to use reverse psychology with you?"

"Use what?"

"It's when someone says the opposite of what they think or feel in the hopes of making another person do or think what they want them to." Al explained. "It would be like me telling you that you can't do something because I know you'll do it, even if you don't want to, just to prove me wrong."

"So he said my family doesn't love be so that I would realize they do? That makes no sense."

"Or maybe he was commenting and drawing your attention to the way you and Malfoys think about love." Al countered, pushing asides some shrubbery, holding it back until Scorpius was past before letting it go. "Like for instance, I'd be willing to bet that 'I love yous' aren't said around your house very often, if at all. That doesn't mean it's not felt, but it does say something about how you and yours view it."

After swallowing his last bit of sandwich Scorpius gave the Gryffindor an annoyed look. "I don't see where you're going with this."

Why did that not surprise him?

"Okay, look. Wait, before I open my mouth and give my two cents, do you really want to hear what I think? I'm probably going to piss you off too."

"I asked." Scorpius pointed out. "And what are two cents?"

"Oh, sorry, Muggle phrase. My Aunt Hermione uses it sometimes. I'm not even sure why, since we don't have cents here in Britain, but never mind, it's not important." Waving it off Al took a deep breath and than said what he thought. "First off, your friend said that Malfoys don't know how to love. Your grandmother and mother would be excluded from that generalization since neither of them are Malfoys by blood, only through marriage. Blacks and your mother's family seem more open to the idea of love, even if their taste in men isn't always the greatest. But more than that…isn't it possible your friend meant that you guys don't know how to handle love of the romantic sort? I mean you'd have to be pretty damn cruel and hateful to tell someone that their family doesn't love them. Are you sure you just didn't misunderstand him?"

Opening his mouth Scorpius closed it again as he thought about what Rorake had said exactly. Rory had said that his grandfather didn't love any of them, but he hadn't come out and said that the rest of them weren't capable of loving each other. Well there had been the crack about Malfoys sacrificing their children, Scorpius thought, and that had been off. His father would never do that, especially after…after what his father had gone through.

"And something else to consider, while we're on the subject." Al continued, since Scorpius had lapsed into silence. "Maybe your friend was overly general…because he knows that what you want most is to live up to the standards your grandfather has set up for you. Standards that your own father was never able to meet. Maybe he wanted to make being like your grandfather sound like the worst thing possible, so that you'd think about the reasons why it wouldn't be such a good thing…to want to emulate him."

"You don't know him the way I do."

"That's true, I don't. Of course I could throw the fact that you've said plenty about my father without knowing him the way I do, but that wouldn't get us anywhere. All I'm saying is that it doesn't hurt for you to consider both sides of every argument and see if that doesn't give you a new perspective on some things. The men in your family would probably be a lot happier and content if they got in touch with their feelings once in a while. Just saying."

"If you think I'm such a bad bet genetics wise, why are you falling for me?" Scorpius shot back defensively.

"Because I didn't have a choice, my dear Slytherin. Because I didn't have a choice."

Scorpius didn't not like the sound of that, hence his sarcasm. "I'm flattered."

"You should be. I've never fallen for anyone before."

And that shut the Slytherin up quite nicely.

)

Arriving at their destination after a good fifteen minutes of silence, it wasn't hard to see which trees were infected and which weren't. When a tree looked like it was suffering from green, glow in the dark acne, it wasn't hard to figure out that something was wrong.

"They only got six trees, I was expecting worse." Holding out the lantern to Scorpius Al shrugged off his small pack once his hands were free. Opening the pack Al withdrew a canister about the size of the average cookie jar, which made a slight sloshing sound as the liquid inside settled back into place. "Okay, here we go."

Al set the canister down close to the infected trees and than motioned for Scorpius to follow him so that they were several meters away from the canister. Than, withdrawing his wand, the Gryffindor used a spell to raise the lid off the canister to set the trap.

Within seconds the levils were dive bombing inside the jar like Nifflers into a treasure chest.

"Okay….what the hell?"

Al laughed as he looked around to make sure that all the bugs had flown into his trap. "There's maple syrup in there. They love it." Walking over Al put the lid back on, making sure it was sealed tight before he put the container back into his pack. "And we're done. Told you it wouldn't take long."

"So the trees will be all right now?"

"The six they were on are a dead loss, but the others should be fine. Hagrid will cut down the bad ones in the spring, before foaling starts."

"I see." Following the Gryffindor back the way they come Scorpius gave the man a considering look. "You know a lot about this kind of stuff."

"Because this kind of stuff is how I'm going to make my living." Al returned, deciding to let Scorpius carry the lantern if he wanted to. "That's why the Headmaster doesn't mind me coming in here by myself all the time. He knows Hagrid's been training me since I was a kid for this."

"Wait, what? You want Professor Hagrid's job? Seriously? Why?"

Knowing an insult to someone he loved when he heard it Al gave the Slytherin a very dark look. "I don't want to be a game keeper or teacher, if that's what you're asking. I'm going to open up a shop with Louis and Lysander. We're going to sell items from the natural world that are hard to get ahold of normally. I'm going to be in charge of collecting the supplies that come from living things, Lysander is in charge of herbs and the products he's going to make from them, and Louis is going to manage the store and talk people into paying the outrageous sums of money he's planning on charging them for our stuff."

"I can imagine." Scorpius could see the men becoming very wealthy thanks to the patronage of Louis's fangirls alone. And the job would suit Potter, Scorpius mused to himself. It would keep the Gryffindor outside and traveling, with a flexible schedule and the chance to be his own boss. Then there was the fact that creatures did tend to take to the Gryffindor as quickly as they did to Hogwart's present Care of Magical Creatures teacher.

"What about you?" Albus asked curiously, looking over at the blonde. "Do you have a dream? Something you want to have or experience in your life?" Then the obvious answer to that occurred to him. "And I don't mean the enslavement of the Muggles and Muggleborns. I mean something that would make you really happy without making millions miserable."

"Thanks for putting that so eloquently."

"Sorry, I just meant….a dream that's just yours, no one else's. Something unique to you."

"I see." Looking around them as he considered the Gryffindor's question Scorpius brows furrowed as he drew a blank. His dreams had always been his grandfather's dreams first. He had never planned to have a job, he didn't need one. No Malfoy had had to work well over a century. His father worked for his maternal grandfather, but his father was the exception to many of the Malfoy norms. He wasn't even sure what his father did, just that the very concept disgusted his paternal grandfather. But…his paternal grandfather didn't do anything other than talk about the 'good old days' and plot the downfalls of those who had wronged him. When his father had been his age Scorpius knew that his grandfather had been on councils and committees, but that had all ended after The Dark Lord had been overthrown for good. And now…well what would they do with their lives if their plans for the Muggles never happened?

"Do you have any other dreams, other than this shop of yours?" Scorpius asked, trying to buy himself some more time to come up with something.

Al shrugged. "Well nothing really big or exciting. The find someone to spend the rest of my life with, adopt a couple of kids, the usual stuff people like me want. It would be brilliant to find a creature no one's found before. That would be something. But family and the shop are the big two."

"I'd like a family too." Scorpius decided.

"Then I hope you get it." Sighing as he thought about the idea of Scorpius having a family with someone else Al smiled a little as his watched his breath fog up and than evaporate in front of him. Spring was creeping in, but the cold winds were keeping everything dormant for now. But spring would come, it always did. The world and his life would seem better once spring came, Al told himself. Spring was all about renewal and hope for the future.

"What's your favorite season?" Al asked, the thought suddenly occurring to him. "I bet its summer."

Scorpius nodded. "Good guess. I wish spring would hurry up and get here so that we could get through that and into summer."

"The end of our school life." Which didn't seem possible, but there it was. You wanted to graduate from school so much and than the end was upon you before you were actually ready to leave. One phase of their life would end in a few months. Their relationship would end then too. "And once your summer arrives that will be the end of our turbulent but interesting seven year relationship." Al added, forcing himself to grin at the Slytherin.

Scorpius blinked. "Way to ruin this summer for me."

Al came to a grinding halt, Scorpius automatically doing the same so that they were facing each other when Al spoke with a fierce look on his face. "What?"

Taken aback Scorpius stared at him, not sure what was going on. "What?"

"Your summer will be ruined, knowing it means the end of us?"

"We're an us?"

"Nevermind. Forget I said anything." Shaking his head Al started forward, the Gryffindor withdrawing his wand so that he could use it to light his way. He'd been stupid to think, even for a moment, that the Slytherin had been suggesting there was something…developing between them. That they could be an us if they tried.

"Potter, wait!"


	21. Future Foretelling

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations the characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way things are. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Future Foretelling

Al silently called himself every kind of idiot there was, but he stopped and waited for Scorpius to catch up to him anyway. The other man probably just didn't want to be in the forest alone, Al thought cynically as he waited for him.

Scorpius glared at the Gryffindor, pissed off and not bothering to hide it. "Why the hell did you walk off like that? And why are you upset?"

"Because I'm an idiot."

"Well I could have told you that." Holding the lantern a little higher, Scorpius studied the other man's face thoughtfully, pretty sure he knew what was going on in the other man's head. It wasn't like he hadn't thought it himself. "You think you're an idiot for having feelings for me, don't you?"

Al's response was laced with self deprecation as he shrugged one shoulder. "Who would argue that that makes me an idiot?"

The Slytherin's voice went cold and lethal as he answered. "So you'd like me better if I was just like you? You want me to be some by the book, lover of small animals and children, help little old ladies across the street goody goody? You, who just got done telling me what love is supposed to be. And who obviously has no self awareness at all because if you did, you'd realize that it's not love if the person has to change who they are in order for them to be appropriate love material. I like who I am now. I have no interest in changing and you're nothing but a hypocrite for getting mad that I won't change who I am so that you can justify screwing around with me."

Al opened and then closed his mouth. He hated that the Slytherin had a point. After all, how often had he thought that things would be so much easier if Scorpius were to turn over a new leaf? How that was the only way they'd ever be together the way he wanted them to be. He really was a hypocrite, Al realized, because he was no more willing to change who he was than Scorpius was.

And hypothetically, even though most would say Scorpius should want to change, he wouldn't be Scorpius if he wasn't the bad ass he was now.

"I hate that you have a point." Al finally admitted.

"I normally do." Moving in closer Scorpius reached out with his free hand to encircle the Gryffindor's waist, anchoring the man up against him to keep him in place. "So what's it going to be, Potter? Are you going to stick with me until school ends, or is this it? Either way, when school ends, we end. We both know it."

"It has to end because neither of us is willing to change." Al answered softly, getting that more than ever as he stared into his lover's face. "But I'll take what I can get."

"I'll take what I can get too." Leaning in Scorpius kissed the Gryffindor hard, not understanding why somewhere inside of him he was pissed off that the other man had agreed with him so easily. Especially since everything he'd said was the truth. He wasn't going to change who he was, and as for Potter, well there was no way in hell the other man was going to go bad ever. His lover just didn't have it in him. Albus Severus Potter saved all his bad boy wickedness for the bedroom, and damn if he didn't love that about him.

Which made absolutely no sense, but then nothing about their relationship did.

)

Eventually Al and Scorpius had to come up for air, and they both knew that this wasn't the time or the place for snogging. Especially since snogging so often led to sex with them. So the two men continued on their way with great reluctance, shooting each other hot glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Now they both had to acknowledge the hard truth that their steamy affair had an expiration date, and neither liked that thought one little bit. It made them want to savor every moment together.

And just plain savor each other.

They were within minutes of the forest's edge when they both sensed that they weren't alone and their wands were at the ready when Firenze appeared from the forest's darkness.

"Hello, Firenze." Moving to stand between the centaur and Scorpius Al nodded his head at his father's former teacher and friend, returning his wand to his pocket. The last thing he needed was Scorpius or Firenze getting the wrong idea. "I've taken care of the lunar levils. They got six trees but I'll send Hagrid out to chop it down later."

"Very good. Thank you, young Potter." The centaur looked over in Scorpius's direction, his head tilting to the side as he studied the other man. "You look like your grandfather, Mr. Malfoy. And yet you are here with Albus. Most interesting and unexpected."

Scorpius nodded his head curtly, so as not to be rude. Unlike a certain ex headmistress of Hogwarts, he had the sense not to piss off a centaur on its home turf.

After some careful study the blonde haired centaur returned his attention back to Al. "Your father and family have done much for my people. I would return the favor. There is a darkness coming, Albus Potter. And you are in its sights. Beware of the snakes…though not the one at your side. He poses no danger to you…yet."

While Al thought that over Scorpius came from behind his lover to confront the centaur's words head on. "There are people in my house who are going to try to hurt him? Who? When?"

"There are always members of your house that seek to harm him." Was the centaur's deadpan reply. "You, more than anyone, should know that, son of Malfoy. As to who and when, I could not say. That is not for me to know or tell. But I have faith that Albus, like his father before him, will prove very hard for the darkness to take."

Al smiled wryly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Firenze."

The centaur nodded. "I bid you good night, Albus and Malfoy."

And without waiting for their reply Firenze turned and headed back the way he'd come, disappearing into the forest's darkness like he'd never been there.

Turning back to face Al Scorpius's eyes were uncertain. "Did you understand that? Is someone planning to kill you or is he just generalizing because dark wizards naturally hate members of your family?"

Al shrugged. "It's like he said, Scorpius. When am I not on some Slytherin's hit list?"

Scorpius wasn't sure how to take that. He knew that centaurs were usually very philosophical, and that getting a straight answer from them was like trying to put Professor Hagrid's mangy dog on a diet. Their predictions of the future were said to be vague and only understandable to them. So was there cause for concern or not?

Not wanting to discuss it Al thought it best to change the subject. "We should keep going before we catch cold." That was all he needed on top of everything else. He couldn't take advantage of the other man if he was coughing away in the Medical Wing.

Scorpius didn't know how to take the man's cavalier attitude about the centaur's prediction. "You aren't worried?"

Al just pointed in the direction they were headed. He wasn't about to admit that the centaur's prediction had indeed worried him a little. He believed in the centaur's abilities to predict, and he wasn't so stupid as to think that Cavendish wouldn't be gunning for him after he'd spoiled the bastard's plot to hurt Lily. And then there were all the other Death Eaters and their offspring to think about. Al figured it was safe to say that there had been people wanting to kill him since he'd been in the womb. It was just a fact of his life.

If it weren't, he'd probably be more concerned.

Still, it wouldn't hurt for him to be on his guard and give his father a heads up while he was at it.

Just in case.

"Potter…." Scorpius did not like the feeling he was getting about the prediction.

Al leaned forward to place a teasing kiss against the Slytherin's lips, trying to distract him. "Look, like Firenze said, you more than anyone should know how many people out there would like to see me dead. You could probably write several parchments worth of names without having to think too hard about it. I'm just glad you won't be a threat for a while yet."

"Yet?" Scorpius liked the sound of that yet even less than the idea of Albus being killed.

"Well when you and your grandfather try to take over the Wizarding World I'm gonna have to help stop you. You know that, right?" Al kept his tone joking, but it was the truth too.

"Then I'll just have to capture you and hold you hostage until my side wins." Scorpius shot back, the idea appealing to him more than fighting with the other man. It was stupid to even imagine it, but he couldn't deny there was appeal to the idea of holding the man beside him hostage, keeping him with him always.

"I'll escape." Al pointed out with a grin.

"But will you want to?" Scorpius returned seductively, setting the lantern down so that he could place his hands against his lover's stomach, sliding them up until he could place his hands on Albus's shoulders, fingers digging in for emphasis.

Even through his thick winter coat Al felt the touch like it was against his bare skin. "It wouldn't matter if I wanted to stay or not. I'd escape because that's what I'd have to do. And you'd do the same in my shoes."

Scorpius couldn't argue with that. "But you would want to, wouldn't you?"

Al leaned in for another lingering kiss in silent answer.

)

Rorake knew he should probably be concerned, but he figured that the two Slytherin women flanking him owed him for protecting their precious Gryffindor earlier. The two third year Ravenclaws who'd been responsible for the Fanged Frisbee incident had already been dealt with. The fan club had tracked them down and both boys had had their heads turned into Frisbees. They were also, according to rumors, currently incapable of saying anything other than 'We will not harm the Prince's face'. Filch had been punished by the club as well, since he was the one who'd detained the two girls in charge of looking after Louis's wellbeing when the attack occurred. Mrs. Norris had gone missing and Rorake didn't even want to think about what might have been done to the much hated cat. Filch was frantic though, and being a soft touch Rorake was pretty sure Louis would insist the cat be returned to the man shortly.

Since he was yet unharmed Rorake was willing to guess that the fan club spies had yet to learn that he'd been kissed by their beloved prince earlier. He was all for it staying that way. But obviously they knew something, since he doubted very much that he'd been escorted from his house's common room to be thanked for his help. It was almost past curfew, but he was with the sixth and seventh year female prefects from his house. In short, there was no one in the school dumb enough to save him if he needed saving. No one willing messed with them.

Neither girl was talking, but he wasn't much of a talker anyway and didn't mind. So he said nothing and simply stepped into the classroom, nodding at the Gryffindor girl who stood guard and had opened the door for him.

She didn't nod back.

Looking around Rorake spotted Louis right away, the Gryffindor sitting on the teacher's desk with two more Gryffindor's flanking him. Both girls looked ready to tear him a new one if necessary. Louis's expression was harder to read.

"Thank you for bringing him, Hestia, Natalia. I appreciate it. If you ladies would just leave us alone for a few minutes, this shouldn't take long." Louis smiled at each of the girls as he spoke, knowing they hated the idea of leaving him alone with Rorake.

It was obvious that none of the five girls liked the idea, but their prince had given them an order and they couldn't say no. They all gave Rorake looks though. Looks that promised inhumane punishment if he so much as mussed a hair on their prince's perfect head.

And to be honest, Rorake didn't doubt for a minute that they were quite capable of following through on their unspoken threats.

So he kept his hands in his pockets and watched them all file out, the girls closing the door behind them. That done Rorake turned around to find Louis with his wand drawn, which did surprise him.

Ignoring the Slytherin for the moment, Louis casted a spell that would soundproof the room. He had no doubt the girls were listening at the door and he didn't want to be overheard. When that done Louis took a deep breath and turned his attention back to the as yet silent hulk. "I bet you're wondering why I asked them to bring you here."

"Well it's not like you could have come got me yourself." Rorake pointed out with a small smirk, crossing his arms in front of him. "And you can't keep dragging me off without people, especially your fan club, getting suspicious."

"Exactly. Uhm…the girls were polite, weren't they? I told them you hadn't done anything wrong and were not to be harmed or intimidated."

Rorake just shrugged. "I imagine they've hauled people off with a great deal more prejudice."

That was an understatement. And he still had yet to find out what had happened to Filch's cat. He felt bad about that. So far his house presidents had yet to find out which of his girls had caused the annoying feline to vanish into thin air. They would probably know by morning though. Nothing got past his presidents when they set their minds to something.

They were scarily efficient.

"So, as to why you're here…well I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier." Louis began, fighting back his nerves. "And getting very, very angry about it I might add. You suggesting that I don't know how to snog someone royally pisses me off. And it's not fair to judge my abilities by that one kiss because it wasn't like I was really trying to kiss you and even if I had been it was so short that you wouldn't have had any time to judge my skills in that area. And who are you to judge really? It's not like you're some Casanova after all. What do you know about quality kissing?" Louis had to take a deep breath here to calm himself a little. "But be that as it may, I'm part Veela, I have a reputation to live up to."

Rorake's lips twitched, seeing where this was going now.

"I don't want to do this, Slytherin. I really, really don't. But I have my Veela pride and no one, alive or dead, can think any member of my line is a bad kisser. Because we're not. We're great kissers. It's in our blood. People should only be so lucky as to be kissed by a Veelasometime in their life."

"Weasley."

Louis did not appreciate being interrupted in the middle of his rant. "What?"

"If you want to kiss me then shut up and do it already."

Louis gasped theatrically. "Don't tell me to shut up!"

"Who's going to stop me, Freckles?" Rorake shot back smugly, crossing his arms without a hint of remorse.

Louis's eyes flamed up, his Veela pride kicking into high gear. The use of his hated new nickname was just the final straw. "Just for that, I'm going to ruin you for anyone else. Just see if I don't!" He vowed to them both as he moved in for the kill.

Rorake made no move to stop the Gryffindor's advance, he even bent his head for Louis so that the man could have full access to his mouth. After all, it wasn't like he didn't want the Gryffindor to snog the hell out of him, he'd been hoping for just that.

And full access Louis took as he dedicated himself to kissing the hell out of the smug Slytherin. This time the chemistry between them exploded, making his gut tighten as Louis got his first taste of the dark, seductive heat that lay beneath the Slytherin's calm exterior. Before he'd been too shocked about his face's near miss to register the fact that the Slytherin had an incredibly kissable mouth, but oh baby did he ever now. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

He had planned to pretend indifference just to piss the Weasley off, but Rorake found himself unable to do so as the Gryffindor fingers speared up and into his curly dark hair, tightening as the passion swept them both away. On a sound of pleasure Rorake wrapped his arms around the Gryffindor's slim waist, determined to keep the other man right there until he was good and ready to turn him loose.

Which was not going to be happening any time soon if Louis kept kissing him the way he was.

When air was necessary Louis broke off the kiss with a purr of satisfaction, loving the feel of the Slytherin's curls between his fingers as he smoothed them back down. "Still think that I can't kiss?"

Struggling to focus Rorake had to work hard to reengage his brain enough to speak coherently. "Inconclusive. Third time will be the charm."

And rather than wait for permission Rorake took charge and leaned in to steal the next kiss.

Third time was indeed the charm.

* * *

For those of you completely exasperated with the boys don't worry, a certain Slytherin will soon be on the scene to make them rethink their preconceptions about each other and their relationship.


	22. Number One Slytherin

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Number One Slytherin

Probably the only good thing to come out of Firenze's prediction was that it gave Louis something else to obsess about. Which was good, because in his opinion he needed all the distractions he could find. Of course Louis wasn't as worried about the prediction as Malfoy apparently was, but trying to ponder and figure it out was a constructive way to past the time. It was better than thinking about the kisses he'd shared with a certain Slytherin anyway. He'd told only Al about the kisses, and his cousin hadn't been much help in that regard. Al seemed to think the whole thing was cute for some strange reason. His best friend actually agreed with him that Rorake Goyle was cute!

Of course Al was still sleeping with Malfoy, so his cousin wasn't exactly thinking straight to begin with.

Because maybe Firenze had said that Malfoy didn't pose a threat to Al now, but in the future that was a no brainer.

There was also the problem of Rorake and the fact that he now had to avoid the other man like the plague. Not easy to do when you shared classes and were stuck in the same building together. Plus his fan girls were noticing his unusual behavior, which meant that at the next meeting of his fan club a lot of questions were going to be posed that he didn't want to deal with.

Louis had no doubt they were already investigating the Slytherin's life down to finding out whether he was a boxers or briefs sort of guy.

And he so didn't want to go there.

Well okay, yeah, he sorta did, but that wasn't a good thing. Not good at all.

)

There was a lot of speculation going around the school once word got out that the Potions instructor would probably not be back before the end of the year. Who would be called in to replace the professor was a hot topic of debate while other teachers were forced to pitch in and take over the classes temporarily.

Ironically enough it was Firenze's prediction that decided who would take over the hard to fill position. Al had indeed informed his father about the centaur's prediction, and taking it more seriously than his son and nephew Harry had opted to stick his nose into Hogwarts business.

And so the new Potions teacher was someone no one would have ever predicted coming.

The new teacher came to Hogwarts two days after the previous potion master's accident. Very few people recognized the newly arrived figure, making her way through the school's hallways with the Headmaster at her side. Those few who did know her waved or came up to speak to her briefly, all showing surprise to learn why she had returned to her former alma mater.

Scorpius was one of the first people to see and recognize the witch, though they'd never exchanged a single word before. The tall woman was striking, the years having carved away at her face until her bone structure and dark, obsidian eyes popped against her stunningly white hair.

She moved with a feline grace, her stride eating up ground effortlessly. She owned the space she walked in and her very presence had people moving out of her way. Her aura warned all around her that here was a woman who was entirely capable of ending a person's existence without guilt or remorse.

She was a witch who had once been held up as a model of how every Slytherin women should aspire to behave in public and private. Or she had been until she betrayed her own kind by marrying a Muggleborn.

Andromeda Tonks.

His great aunt.

Standing off to the side Scorpius watched the woman walk past him, their eyes meeting briefly before they both looked away. Which was precisely how they'd been behaving towards each other since he'd been a boy. If it weren't for previous glimpses of her Scorpius doubted he would have clicked in to who she was so quickly.

Just what was she doing at Hogwarts?

The answer came when he and Rorake showed up for Potions to find Andromeda Tonks standing at the front of the class, watching the students file into the room with all knowing, all seeing eyes. The two Slytherins walked over to take their usual seats, Scorpius studying the older woman while Rorake deliberately tried to catch a certain Gryffindor's gaze.

"Why are you staring at Louis Weasley?" Scorpius asked when he finally turned his gaze back to his seatmate.

"Because it bugs him."

Scorpius gave his friend a considering look. "Are you planning to make that a full time occupation?"

"Maybe. Could be fun."

Rolling his eyes, Scorpius could only hope that the man knew what he was doing. As fun as picking on the girlie boy was, Scorpius couldn't see how it could be worth the headaches. Not only would you have the Potter/Weasley clan to deal with, but the fan club girls would make Louis's family seem as harmless as Hufflepuffs.

Once everyone was seated Andromeda simple stood, waited until the room went deathly quiet, and than began to speak.

"I am Andromeda Tonks and I will be filling in for Professor Blackwood. He left behind some of your homework assignments and having read them I've asserted the fact that you are all woefully behind where I was at your age. I can also see that the stupidity Professor Blackwood showed lugging around the dangerous ingredients that led to his current predicament extended to his teaching methods. For those of you who are not planning to pursue a career that requires your attendance here, I suggest you leave immediately. The days when gross incompetence could be rewarded with a trip to the dungeon might be over, but I assure you the punishments I will mete out for disruptions in my class will be equally severe."

Gulping from his seat Louis's face indicated that she wasn't kidding. And if he was worried about what she'd do to him, a member of her own family, the rest of the students were starting to think that making a break for it wasn't a bad idea.

And they were right to be worried.

Her self introduction over, Andromeda launched into an explanation of just how far behind they were and what she expected them to accomplish in the months to come. The potion she assigned them after her spiel was so complex and difficult that most everyone felt grey hairs sprouting in their heads at the mere thought of it.

Everyone turning their attentions to their caldrons, the seventh years went to work on their individual potions with religious zeal. They were pretty sure that their lives depended upon it.

Working away Scorpius paused once in a while to check his textbook and to graciously look over Rorake's work. The man usually did alright with potions, and while the man's concoction was far from perfect, Scorpius figured it was adequate enough. He hoped it was anyway.

Fifteen minutes before the class was due to end Andromeda started making the rounds, cutting people to verbal shreds with a thoroughness that had all the Slytherins in the room marveling at her skills. For a traitor, she sort of did their house proud.

Or that's what they thought up until she got to their side of the room and started tearing strips off their hides as well.

Everyone held their breath when she came to Scorpius's caldron, everyone expecting him to get the worst of the woman's venomous tongue. Everyone knew how she was related to him, and everyone knew what his family had costed hers. His parents and grandparents might not have directly eliminated almost her entire family, but they'd certainly helped the people who had.

Stopping in front of his caldron Andromeda stared down at the contents, retrieving his spoon so that she could scoop some of the potion up for a closer look. After a minute's study Andromeda tipped the spoon's content back into the caldron and met Scorpius's coldly defiant face. "Well, at least you inherited one thing from my side of the family. Well done."

Ignoring her great nephew's shocked stare Andromeda moved on to the next caldron, studying the contents before looking up to meet Goyle's eye. "And you perhaps have the same problem as your grandfather and father? Whoever is editing your homework for you does an excellent job."

"So my potion is okay?" He asked, ignoring her other question.

"It's better than anything anyone else in your family could have concocted." Was her cool reply. "I suggest you get your seat mate to help you in the future if you hope to graduate with a NEWT in this class."

"Yes, ma'am."

That concluding her walk around Andromeda advised the Gryffindors to go to Rose Weasley, the Slytherins to go to Scorpius Malfoy, and the Ravenclaws to go to Lorcan Scamander. The Hufflepuffs would have to hope that one of the other houses would take pity on them.

Apparently the three named were the only ones who could come up with potions remotely nearing her standards. Well Lysander had too, but only an idiot would ask that boy to tutor someone else.

All the students ran out of the Potions classroom as soon as class ended. And they were all eager to drown their sorrows in the first alcoholic drink they could get their hands on. Many of them were prepared to break into the rooms of teachers if that was what it took to get ahold of some liquor.

And they'd thought they'd been stressed out about their NEWTs before.

Rose Weasley and Louis Weasley stayed behind to speak to Andromeda for a moment, the two sending Scorpius suspicious glances when he remained in his seat, obviously waiting for them to go so that he could speak to Andromeda alone.

Reaching the same conclusion Andromeda sent the two Weasleys on their way, not at all flustered at the idea of facing off against her younger sister's grandson. There were far worse things to face in life than a clone of Lucius.

Though potions had never been one of Lucius's strong suits, Andromeda mused. The man would have never gotten a NEWT in the subject if not for Narcissa.

Andromeda waited for him to come to her, arching one black brow in silent query when he approached.

"What makes you qualified to teach this class?"

Oh yes, he was definitely Malfoy spawn. "What makes you think you're qualified to judge my abilities in that area? Though since you asked I come from a long line of potion masters who make your Professor Blackwood seem about as skilled as a Muggle enfant. I graduated first in my year from this school and I achieved high honors in all my NEWTs, including my Potions. And that aside, I'm an excellent judge of incompetence. I'll no doubt be saving the evaluators countless headaches by weeding out the rubbish now."

Scorpius gave her a considering look. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were a true Slytherin."

"And if I didn't know any better I'd think you had the potential to be someone I could actually be pleased to share blood with." There was something about the boy that reminded her of herself. Strange, when he looked so much like Lucius. But than genetics were a strange thing.

The two Slytherins understanding each other perfectly, they shared one last look before parting ways without another word.

)

Working away in the library Al dipped his quill into his ink and continued to write even as Scorpius took a seat across from him. Finishing the paragraph before looking up Al gave the Slytherin a questioning look. "What's up?" The library was pretty empty, but there were people around who were bound to notice them in such close quarters.

"Did you know my great aunt was going to be teaching Potions?"

Al's lips curved into a somewhat evil grin. "I heard from my sister." He'd dropped the subject after his OWLs, and it now appeared that that was one of the smartest things he'd ever done. Not that he didn't love his godbrother's grandmother, he did. But the woman was a Slytherin. She could be damn scary.

"She's not what I expected."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Al shook his head. "She's a Slytherin and a Black, Malfoy. Andromeda Tonks could go toe to toe with just about anyone. My advice to you is to stay on her good side…if you can find it. She takes a very long time to warm up to someone."

He'd never seen his lover with Andromeda, but Scorpius assumed that they were close from the amused affection on the other man's face. "But she cares about you."

"True, but I'm a very loveable person."

Scorpius smirked at that. "I wouldn't argue with that. To a point."

"You just had to add that last part." But Al smiled none the less, going a little mushy over the idea that Scorpius thought he was very loveable to a point. That was certainly better than nothing.

Sensing that it was best to change the subject Scorpius gave the Gryffindor a heated look. "So what are you up to after dinner?"

"From the look in your eye I'd guess I'll be doing the same thing I was doing after dinner last night." Al grinned as he tapped his fingers against the cover of one of his textbooks. "You're affecting my homework, you know. And now that Andromeda here I'm going to have to watch it or she'll be breathing down my neck."

Scorpius leaned in, bracing his chin on his fists. "I'll help you with your homework after you help me de-stress from spending more than an hour in a room with a woman who, if mad enough, just might be able to out Slytherin everyone but me."

Al had to chuckle at that. "Sounds fair enough."

Pleased, Scorpius did his best to hide that and changed the subject. "Well at least with her here the other Slytherins would have to be mental to try and cause you problems. The woman was Bellatrix Lestrange's sister after all, even if she was married to a Muggleborn."

Actually, Al had a sneaky suspicion that he might be the reason Andromeda had agreed to come to Hogwarts in the first place. She'd never hinted at an interest in teaching and she didn't exactly have the best temperament for it. The only logical reason she would have been considered for the position was if someone had nominated her for it. Someone like his father. Not that Al minded; he didn't have to have her for a teacher.

His cousins might not be so thrilled with him once they put two and two together though.

"You need to stop worrying about someone trying to do me in." Al reached out to teasingly bat Scorpius's nose with the end if his quill.

"What can I say? I don't like the idea of anyone doing you but me."

)

Hours later, stretched out on his stomach, Al closed his eyes with a sigh, content to remain as he was for the time being. Unfortunately the man lying naked beside him had other ideas. Al could practically hear the gears in the Slytherin's head turning. He didn't even have to wonder what the man was thinking about. Scorpius had become obsessed with Firenze's prediction for some reason. The Gryffindor had a sneaky suspicion that the man had put together the pieces of the puzzle and had figured out the reason behind Andromeda's presence. And apparently he wasn't talented enough to screw the questions out of the Malfoy's brain for long, Al thought wryly as he snuggled against the sheets.

Sitting up with his back braced against the headboard, Scorpius looked down at the Gryffindor's bare back, reaching out to trail a finger down the man's spine. It irked him that the other man wasn't remotely worried, and it pissed him off even more that he cared so much.

"You're going to give yourself a brain aneurism." Al murmured, opening his satisfied eyes so that he could look up and meet the other man's stormy eyes. "And that's a bad thing by the way."

"And you're lucky I want to keep you around for sex." Was the Slytherin's annoyed rely. "Though you might be dead before June."

Al rolled his eyes. "And you call Louis a drama queen. I'm not going to be dead by June, Scorpius. Firenze didn't even say I was going to die exactly. He just said that darkness was coming for me."

Scorpius's response was heavy on the sarcasm. "Slytherins generally kill Potters whenever possible."

"No, he said snakes, which could be as literal as it could be metaphorical. I could literally fall into a dark cave where snakes have made their nests, or I could be facing individuals who resemble snakes in looks or personality. It could even refer to how they plan to attack. All the bad guys aren't in Slytherin you know, however much you guys like to think you have the monopoly there."

Shifting over Scorpius threw off the sheet covering the Gryffindor from the waist and moved in to straddle his lover, leaning forward to place a line of kisses down the man's neck. "We do have the monopoly on bad boys, Potter." Scorpius's voice turned darkly seductive. "And you've got the baddest one right here, showing an interest in your well being. I'd think about taking advantage of that if I were you. It probably won't last."

"I'd rather just take advantage of you period."

"When do you not want to take advantage of me?" Scorpius pointed out as he slid further down the Gryffindor's body, reaching out to dig his fingers into the man's hips as he silently signaled the other man to lift them up so that he'd have the man right where he wanted him.

A knowing smile crossed Al's lips as he shifted into a more accommodating position, arching his ass against the Slytherin's erection. "Feels like you're going to be the one to take advantage of me this time."

"Well we Slytherins like to be on top of everything."

"Then lets see what your wand can do, Slytherin." Al purred out as his eyes gleamed in anticipation. "Or this Gryffindor is going to take over and pounce."


	23. Lysander The Catalyst

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and review!

Lysander The Catalyst

Wandering down the library aisles, Scorpius and Rorake were on the hunt for a book they needed for their Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment. Coming to the right aisle they headed down, absently reading the titles as they searched for the right one.

Both turned their heads when the sound of a low, drawn out moan reached their ears.

"Do you think these old shelves finally fell on someone?" Scorpius asked with a smirk, his ears keen to pick up the sound again. Just in case. It never hurt to be on one's guard after all.

Rorake just shrugged, turning his attention back to the shelf. For all they knew it could be a book making the moaning sound. One never knew what to expect with some of the Hogwarts' literary collection. "It's probably just a book or one of the ghosts."

Following the man's example Scorpius turned back to studying the spines of the books, though he kept an eye out for the sound's producer. "If it's Peeves I get first shot at him."

The two had made their way down to the next set of shelves when the moan came again, this time a little louder and clearer.

Scorpius chuckled, rolling his eyes as it all suddenly became clear. "Looks like some idiots are using the book shelves for cover. They must be Hufflepuffs, to pick so stupid a place for a rendezvous." Because that had definitely been a sex moan they'd just heard. Whoever had made it wasn't one for keeping quiet either, the Slytherin noted with a smirk, the sounds coming again through the shelves. Maybe a Weasley and not a Hufflepuff, Scorpius mentally corrected himself with a grin, thinking of someone related to the Weasleys who also had problems with volume control during foreplay. His own man definitely didn't know the meaning of quiet at such times.

Smirking just a little too, Rorake retrieved the book they needed with ease, glad he had the height to reach it up on the top shelf. He was in the process of turning to face Scorpius when the next moan pierced the air, accompanied by a very husky voice.

"Harder. Right there. Oh damn but that feels good. Don't stop. Mmmmmm."

About to make a smart comment Rorake got a really bad feeling when he saw the look that had just entered Scorpius's eyes. It was not entirely sane. "Scorpius?"

But Scorpius was beyond hearing the other man. Was beyond hearing Rorake because he knew that voice and those sounds intimately. And more importantly, he was damn well the only one that voice was supposed to say words like that to.

Nearby, Scorpius thought with dark rage, someone was touching what belonged to him. Making the man who belonged to him moan and beg for more.

And Potter was allowing it.

Pushing past his friend with a rough shove, Scorpius stalked back down the aisle like a predator smelling prey. He didn't even really hear the questions Rorake was posing as the other man tried to figure out what was going on with him.

Since he was not an idiot Rorake clued in quickly enough and picked up his speed until he was on Scorpius's heels, prepared to grab his friend and hold him down if necessary. It was unthinkable in his mind that Al would cheat, but perhaps the two had broken up and Scorpius had had too much pride to admit it. Had Al grabbed someone on the rebound to piss Scorpius off?

This would not end well if that was the case.

Another long, drawn out moan directed them towards their target and within seconds they were standing at the opening of the correct aisle, both taking in the scene in front of them with varying degrees of relief and utter confusion.

Al was facing them with Lysander's chest pressed up against the Gryffindor's back. The Ravenclaw's arms were under Al's, the blonde's elbows bent as he placed his hands on either side of Al's head. As they watched the Ravenclaw bent them both forward and turned them off to the side, than moved back up to a standing position, jerking the Gryffindor's head unexpectedly as he did so. The two Slytherin's easily heard the crack the sudden movement caused.

"What the hell?"

Only now aware of their presence Lysander smiled at them over Al's shoulder, not detecting the dangerous edge to Scorpius's question. "Hi. Are we in your way?" The Ravenclaw asked, assuming they needed a nearby book.

Rolling his shoulders carefully Al gave them a questioning look, not quite sure what to make of their expressions, particularly his lover's. Scorpius looked both confused and murderous, and Rorake looked like he was struggling not to laugh at them. Had they looked that ridiculous earlier?

"You aren't in the way." Rorake informed the Ravenclaw, thinking it best that Scorpius spoke as little as possible. "He put his back out or something?"

Lysander nodded, completely oblivious to the danger he'd narrowly escaped with his confirmation. "He had to hunch down to get a book for me and when he straightened up…well I've spent the last five minutes working out the kinks so that he can stand upright."

"I blame too many Quidditch crash landings." Was Al's rueful addition to the conversation, grateful that Scorpius hadn't seen how pitiful he'd looked before Lysander had worked his massaging magic. He wanted to ask his man what was wrong too, but knew that the Slytherin wouldn't appreciate him acting familiar while Lysander was around. With Lysander you never knew what you were dealing with after all. His friend was usually either super observant or completely oblivious to the world around him.

Scorpius forced himself to sneer at the Gryffindor's explanation, still barely in control of his emotions as he spoke. "That would explain your multiple brain injuries as well." And turning his heels Scorpius strolled off without a backward glance, his irritation with himself and them revealed in every step.

Giving the two a rueful look Rorake shrugged and headed off to once again catch up with his annoyed roommate, leaving the other two men behind to shrug at each other, at sea as to what they were missing.

)

Twenty minutes later Rorake was on his way towards the Great Hall for lunch. Scorpius had wandered off somewhere and Rorake could only hope that the man didn't run into the spacey Scamander twin anytime soon. Not that the Ravenclaw had done anything wrong, but Scorpius was pissed and liable to take out his frustration out on the man anyway. He was curious as to what irritated his childhood friend more though. That the other man had been touching Al, or that he had nearly lost control over the incident in the first place. Because Scor had definitely headed for that aisle with the intent to do serious harm, there wasn't a doubt in Rorake's mind.

That Scorpius considered Al his exclusive property was downright mindboggling.

He had definitely not seen that coming. He doubted Scorpius had seen it coming either.

And the realization was not sitting well with the other Slytherin at all.

Rorake was halfway to his destination when he heard his name being called. Or more specifically, Rory Goyle was being hailed by someone behind him. Eyebrows raising, especially since he recognized the voice now, Rorake turned around to watch Lysander Scamander hurrying towards him, the Ravenclaw panting heavily as he came to a stop in front of him with a huge book bag slugged over one shoulder.

Now just how would the Ravenclaw know the short form for his name?

"Good, I caught you." Setting the bulging bag down on the floor Lysander rifled through the various books within it until he found what he was looking for. Lifting the book from his bag Lysander straightened, holding it out in Rorake's direction with his open, happy smile. "I found this on one of the library work tables. It has your name inside it, so I knew who it belonged to. I didn't know your first name was Rory, I really like it. Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I looked inside. You're such an amazing artist!"

Blinking in surprise at all the goodwill being beamed out at him Rorake reached out and took back his sketchbook, clutching it protectively against his chest. It must have gotten mixed in with the books he'd been looking through before he'd gone book hunting with Scorpius. "Thank you." His voice was gruff but honestly grateful. The Ravenclaw was a really nice guy, most people wouldn't have even bothered to turn it in to the lost and found.

"No problem. It was a great coincidence actually." And now Lysander gave Rorake an imploring, hopeful look. "I flipped through it and I saw that you have a really amazing picture of me and my brother in there. I was wondering if I could get a copy of it to give my mum for her birthday? I'd pay you for it and everything. I've been wracking my brain for weeks now trying to come up with something good. How much do you charge for one of your drawings?"

It was not the first time someone had bought one of his pictures, but Rorake was flattered and delighted none the less. His drawings were the one thing he couldn't tolerate anyone judging and finding them lacking. That would definitely be worth hexing someone in his books.

Opening his sketchbook Rorake flipped through it until he found the picture in question, showing it to Lysander first to make sure it was the one he wanted. When the Ravenclaw nodded his head Rorake carefully tore the correct page from the book with expert precision. "Here you go." Rorake said as he held it out to Lysander. "Consider it a thank you for returning my sketchbook to me. Use the money to buy a proper frame for it."

"Are you sure? Really?"

Rorake nodded.

Beaming Lysander moved forward and gave the Slytherin a big hug. "That's so nice of you. Thank you so much." Taking the picture, the Ravenclaw retrieved one of his larger books and slid the picture between its pages so that it wouldn't get wrinkled in his bag.

Seeing plainly why Al was so fond of the blonde Ravenclaw Rorake had to smile back at the man as they exchanged good byes before parting, thinking to himself that he was getting a lot of affection from skinny blondes recently.

And he was pretty sorry that he probably wouldn't be around to see the other skinny blonde's reaction to his drawing if the Ravenclaw showed it to him. Louis probably wouldn't believe he'd drawn it in the first place.

But that was just as well really. He did not want Louis getting ahold of his other sketchbook, which had recently become filled with images of just one person.

Louis's ego was already too big for the blonde's head.

)

Hidden just behind a suit of armor Louis watched the two part ways with furious eyes. How dare that two timing Slytherin smile at Lysander that way! And how dare Lysander hug his Slytherin, Louis fumed with barely concealed fury. That was so not allowed! He was half Delacour, he didn't share! It went against his very nature to share anything, especially a man. And that damn, two timing Slytherin was his until he said otherwise. He might be ignoring the man at the moment, but that certainly did not give the bastard leave to go off and starting hitting on other blondes. And he was unquestionably the hotter blonde, Louis thought hotly, crossing his arms in front of him defensively. Maybe Lysander was smarter, but brains weren't everything. The man walked into walls on a regular basis for Merlin's sake!

And what had the Slytherin given to Lysander? It must have been important, the Ravenclaw had taken care to put it in a book as opposed to just shoving it in with his other loose papers. Was it a letter perhaps? A love letter? Lysander had certainly loved whatever it was, to hug the Slytherin like that where anyone could see them.

The thought had Louis's blood pressure rising to dangerous levels.

And even more annoying to Louis was the fact that Lysander was practically family. He couldn't steal a man from a member of his own family; that was just wrong. But Rory had been his first so technically Lysander had stolen his Slytherin from him, Louis thought as he tried to justify his plans to steal the Slytherin back. Of course Lysander probably didn't know that Rory belonged to him and surely once he explained the Ravenclaw would back off. And he'd have to punish the Slytherin severely for flirting with Lysander as well. Oh yes, extreme punishment would be in order there.

The Slytherin was supposed to be suffering from his lack of attention, not finding it elsewhere.

Typical Slytherin, not understanding the rules and how things were supposed to be done, Louis thought as he angrily drummed his fingers against his arms.

He'd have to educate him thoroughly in that regard.

Louis wasn't sure what it said about him that he was looking forward to the task with rather unholy glee.

)

Scorpius was still feeling shaky over his reaction to the library incident as he made his way towards the Great Hall. Knowing himself relatively well Scorpius knew in his bones that if he had walked in on Potter doing anything remotely sexual with another man he would have drawn his wand. Moreover, he would have drawn it with the intent to kill the bastard putting his hands on what belonged to him. Scorpius was sure of it. It wouldn't have mattered who it was, the man's fate would have been sealed the moment he caught them together.

The Slytherin had yet to decide whether he would kill the Gryffindor too, but was fairly sure that if he were to choose to spare the man's life, Albus Potter would have found himself spending the rest of his life doing his best to convince him in very creative ways that it was in his best interests not to do him in too.

Scorpius had never felt so…possessive of anyone before. He would have punished any of his former conquests if they'd cheated on him, but Scorpius knew that he would have lashed out at them because of how their actions would have reflected upon him in the eyes of others, not because they meant anything to him.

They had all been interchangeable, replaceable. Of little to no importance to him.

Potter was not.

And within a few months he was hypothetically supposed to rescind all claims he had on the other man, Scorpius thought as his fingers curled into fists at his sides. He was supposed to marry the woman his grandfather had picked out for him and watch from the sidelines as his current lover went on with his own life, perhaps marrying someone else someday as well.

Someday, perhaps within weeks of their separation, the Gryffindor would and could replace him.

Someone else would put their hands and mouth on his man. Someone else would be making love to him, lying beside him, laying claim to him.

Just the thought of it was enough to have the Slytherin itching to spill life blood.

But he couldn't just go around killing the other man's dates either. It was a pretty safe bet that the Gryffindor would catch on after the second one and Scorpius had no wish to visit Azkaban. Of course it wouldn't be that hard to get away with the actual murders and Potter would have a devil of a time proving he'd done anything wrong, Scorpius mused, unable to let the idea go entirely. People went missing all the time after all.

"Exactly whose death are you plotting?"

Turning his head to the side Scorpius met his great aunt's gaze squarely as his face slipped into an unreadable mask. "You don't honestly expect me to give you an honest answer, do you?"

Andromeda acknowledged the validity of his sarcasm with a slight nod of her head. "You don't have blood on your hands yet." She stated with an air of certainty. "I wouldn't recommend changing that if you don't have a damn good reason." It was probably dead useless to preach to him, but Andromeda found herself speaking in spite of herself. "Your grandfather wouldn't have told you, but it marks you, Scorpius, always."

Scorpius's eyes narrowed, his shoulders straightening as he shifted to his full height. She wasn't remotely intimidated though. In fact, she was looking at him like he was a potion that needed to be graded. Somehow he doubted she'd give him the passing grade she'd given his assignment.

"I'll keep that in mind." Scorpius finally stated through clenched teeth, wanting to get rid of her so that he could continue to contemplate what to do about his lover's future love life.

"In other words, I shouldn't hold my breath."

Scorpius smirked at her. "If you feel like holding your breath, go right ahead."

Not one to take sass from anyone, Andromeda's words died on her tongue as she saw a look she'd never expected to see in a Malfoy's eyes come into the boy's as he looked over her shoulder. Turning around to see who was responsible Andromeda saw a group of seven or so students heading for lunch as well, recognizing most of them. Looking back in her great nephew's direction Andromeda watched his face shut down once more as soon as he realized she'd seen something in his eyes he had not wanted her to see.

And just which of the seven people had put that passionate, possessive look in the boy's eyes, Andromeda wondered as she studied the now coldly defensive young man before her.

Just who had stirred the heart of the Malfoy heir?


	24. They Will Hunt

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way things are. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

They Will Hunt

That evening Andromeda sat at her room's writing desk and stared thoughtfully at the piece of parchment in front of her. On it were seven names, the ones she'd gotten from Rose when she'd asked the girl earlier about the friends she'd been walking to lunch with. So now she had her seven suspects, Andromeda thought as she studied the names before her. She just had to figure out how to go about eliminating the names on the list until there was only one.

She was tempted to cross out all the men, but her experience with Albus had taught her not to be too hasty in that department. Louis they had all seen coming a mile away, Albus's sexuality had been a complete surprise. Personally she blamed Victoire and Domi for it. All those years of bribing the boy into dressing up like a girl had obviously worn off on the poor little Gryffindor. And while she was pretty sure that Narcissa wouldn't have allowed anyone to make her grandson cross dress, the boy could have simply been born gay.

So the males would stay on the list for now.

With a flourish of her quill Andromeda crossed off Siana Logan. The girl was decent enough looking, and relatively intelligent, but she was as meek as a mouse and had cried when her schoolwork had been criticized. No one with Black blood in them, even Black blood polluted by Malfoys, would ever have anything to do with such an annoyingly creature.

The next logical person to cross out was probably Albus, but again she hesitated. Of course most people would say she was crazy, especially since everyone knew how the Malfoys and Potters felt about each other. And yet, Andromeda mused, and yet what she had seen in Scorpius eyes hadn't been love per say. What had been in her great nephew's eyes had suggested something very close to love, but the boy wasn't quite there yet. And most Malfoys would agree that they felt very strong emotions when it came to members of the Potter family, even if those feelings tended to be homicidal in nature. However unlikely it might be, there was always the possibility that Scorpius's strong feelings towards Albus had taken a most unusual turn somewhere along the way.

And if Albus was the one…well Andromeda didn't see how in hell she was going to be able to save her great nephew through his feelings for another. Not that Albus wouldn't be up to the challenge, she had helped raise the boy after all. Albus was man enough to handle anything that came his way. But the odds of him risking his heart on a bad bet like Scorpius weren't terribly good. The boy hadn't been made Head Boy just for his looks after all.

But regardless, she would leave Albus's name on the list until she had had a better chance to see for herself just how Scorpius and Albus interacted with each other.

Andromeda had her doubts about Rose or Lorcan being the one either. Rose especially, since she was a Weasley. Malfoys tended to have as much problems with Weasleys as they did with Potters. More so even, because Malfoys tended to look down on Weasleys as their lessers, while Potters were rivals. Lorcan…well the boy just struck her as being too…well Lorcan for Scorpius. That and she'd caught her great nephew giving Lysander an 'I wish I push you out a window' look earlier that day. Given how close the twins were Andromeda was very certain that Scorpius had the intelligence to know that Lorcan would have nothing to do with someone who didn't get along with his twin.

Turning back to her list Andromeda managed to cross out two more names before she gave up her task for the evening. The one boy she ditched solely because he was a Hufflepuff, and another girl was eliminated as well because she had her eyebrows and nose pierced. She might have other things pierced besides those and her ears, but Andromeda didn't want to think about that. It was enough that any blood of hers would never be attracted to a woman who would deliberately poke holes through her brainless body as a fashion statement.

So she was left with Rose, Albus, Lorcan, and a Ravenclaw named Marie Whistledown.

)

On patrol that night, Scorpius was less than pleased to find himself walking down what had become a very familiar hallway. Unfortunately, due to stupid prefect patrols, he was not walking down this particular hallway with the intention of going into the Room of Requirement with his Gryffindor.

And he certainly didn't have any interest in going into said room with Natalia, the woman walking beside him, Scorpius thought wryly. Though walking with his own kind was far more tolerable than walking with anyone from the other houses. Except for Potter of course. He liked 'patrolling' with his lover quite a bit.

But unfortunately Potter was not there to drag off into his favorite Hogwarts room.

And yet, even as he thought that, the Requirement doors appeared, Natalia flinching at his side in surprise when the doors opened, revealing their existence. As the two Slytherins watched a lone figure stepped out and into the hallway, both of them recognizing the Gryffindor straight away.

"Malfoy, Natalia." Raising a hand in greeting as the two Slytherins walked towards him, Al concentrated on Natalia since the girl was far more observant than most. It would be stupid to risk her picking up on something between him and Scorpius. Ignoring Scorpius had been his standard procedure before and he had to remember that. "How are you, Natalia?" Al asked with a small smile.

The Slytherin nodded her head in acknowledgement of the greeting. "Good evening, Albus. I am well, thank you for asking. You?"

Al ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair ruefully. "I'm in desperate need of a shower but good otherwise. I was working out and lost track of the time."

"Is that wise given your earlier condition?" Scorpius inquired, regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. That had sounded a little too much like he cared about Potter's wellbeing. And one should always watch their words around Natalia, he thought with trepidation, forcing himself not to reveal his thoughts on his face.

Thinking the same thing, Al hurried to smooth things over. "I disturbed his Slytherin-ness with my groans of pain earlier in the library. I messed up my back again."

"I see." As Albus Potter was her prince's best friend, Natalia knew a great deal about the Gryffindor, including his habit of causing himself personal injury. It was strange though, there was something here, something she couldn't quite put her-Malfoy wasn't behaving as a Malfoy does around a Potter, she realized with interest. The body language was wrong somehow. The vibe between the two had changed in some way. She could feel it.

Sensing that he should flee before things got telling, Al kept his gaze solely Natalia once more. "Well I'll let you two be on your way. It's off to the shower for me. Good night, Natalia. Malfoy."

"Albus."

Knowing his part Scorpius deliberately ignored the other man's words and simply started walking again. When they were far enough away that he was sure they wouldn't be overheard Scorpius asked the question that had been rolling around in his thoughts since she had greeted the Gryffindor by his first name. "Since when do you call Potter by his first name?"

Natalia gave him a look that said she thought him an idiot. "I am the Slytherin president of the Prince Louis Fan Club. Of course I'm on a first name basis with my prince's best friend and cousin."

"And he just lets you?"

The girl raised one slim, black eyebrow. "Why wouldn't he?"

It struck him as seriously wrong that Natalia could call Potter by his first name and he could not. But then again, it wasn't so much that he couldn't call the Gryffindor by his first name, it was that he chose not to, Scorpius realized. The man was falling in love with him after all. It stood to reason that Potter would want him to call him Albus. Or Al. Everyone close to his lover called him that instead. And Scorpius remembered well what Rory had had to say about the meaning behind what you called someone.

So the question was, was it time for him to seriously consider how he addressed the other man in private?

)

Standing in the shower as the water ran over him, Al's thoughts remained on his brief meeting with Scorpius and Natalia. The girl was very perceptive after all and Scorpius had shown what could be seen as concern for his physical well being. In a very roundabout, Slytherin sort of way. Not that it would be the end of the world if she were to make the leap that he and Scorpius were no longer at each other's throats. Well they were going at each other's throats, but it was to nip, not to tear out, Al amended with a small smile.

Natalia considered herself Louis's right hand; she would never speak a word that might indirectly cause her beloved prince's cousin and best friend harm. So he was safe no matter what she might see or pick up later on. She might not be terribly fond of Scorpius but to incriminate one was to incriminate…the other.

Eyes going wide Al reached down and turned off the water automatically, his mind whirling as he realized something very important.

What he and Scorpius were doing could potentially endanger the Slytherin's life.

He'd known that, but in the beginning he hadn't cared. Not that he'd wanted the man dead, but the idea of the man no longer existing hadn't struck him as being the end of the world either. The way it struck him now.

Because he was falling for the man now and everything in him rebelled against the idea of the other man's life ending, Al realized with a foreign pain in his chest. Especially when it's ending would be his fault. His fault if he continued to sleep with Scorpius, knowing the risks that posed to his lover. He'd been selfishly thinking about his own wants and needs, forgetting completely that the reason they were hiding their relationship had as much to do with the law as it did with their reputations.

So far they'd escaped detection, but the deeper he fell in love with the man the more it was bound to show. Al couldn't see how it could be otherwise. And there were plenty of perceptive people at Hogwarts, people with grudges against Scorpius who would assume, correctly, that Albus's father would be able to protect his son from the brute of the scandal and punishment.

No one with the power to do so would raise their hand to protect his lover.

No one but him and his own family, who would help for his sake, Al realized, bracing his hands against the tiled wall for support. And while he would be willing to face the reactions from his various family members when they learned who he had taken as a lover, the fact would still remain that he would be causing problems for them, all of them, for a brief affair with a man who didn't even love him.

And even if he did get Scorpius off, even if they managed to skate by on his family connections and their young age, Scorpius's life would probably be ruined. His own reputation with be a little tarnished, but in the eyes of the people Scorpius valued most, finding out that they'd had an affair would be more than enough to have them turning their backs on the Slytherin. Or even if they didn't, his lover would be made to suffer, no question.

And it would be his fault.

Abruptly Al was reminded of his parents, and how his father had broken up with his mother at the end of his sixth year so that the Dark Lord's army would leave her alone and not use her as a weapon against him. His mother had commented at the time that she'd known before her husband had spoken a word that he intended to break up with her for what she'd called a 'stupidly noble' reason.

He was going to have to be 'stupidly noble' too. He knew it in his bones.

Someday he'd have to ask his father if the intense pain of the realization of what he had to do before was similar to what he was feeling at that precise moment.

Somehow he thought it would be.

)

In his mind Scorpius was planning all sorts of dire consequences if Potter didn't have a good reason for insisting he get up earlier than he had to. He wasn't sure how the Gryffindor had gotten a message to Rorake, but he'd been informed by his roommate that Potter wanted to meet him before everyone else was around to bother them. He was still annoyed and confused about his reaction to the Lysander incident, and he had yet to decide how to handle this latest complication in his relationship with the annoying Gryffindor.

As he'd been informed by Rory Al was waiting for him in a rarely used hallway near the Slytherin hallway. The Gryffindor didn't look like he'd gotten a lot of sleep, still sore from the day before perhaps? Scorpius didn't like that he cared. He didn't like a lot of the things Potter was making him feel outside the bedroom lately.

Walking into the dusty hallway Scorpius's voice was heavy on the sarcasm as he deliberately skipped over the usual greetings. "You asked for a meeting?"

Al nodded, not surprised that Scorpius wasn't thrilled to be summoned. "Thanks for coming."

Scorpius crossed his arms in front of him. "What do you want?"

Straight to the point was probably for the best, Al told himself. As hard as it was. As much as he didn't want to say all the words he knew he had to say. "I asked you to come here because I wanted…have to tell you that we can't see each other anymore. We've been lucky, but it's only a matter of time before someone other than our best friends figure out that something is up between us. I can take the heat, but you can't. I didn't care about that before, but obviously I do now. So it has to end…whether we like it or not."

Scorpius's eyes narrowed. "I can't take the heat?"

Trust Scorpius to latch onto that part of it. "I don't mean that you aren't as tough as me, Scorpius. What I mean is that people will question my common sense if they find out about us, but they won't ostracize or punish me. At least not the people whose opinions actually matter to me. I don't know your parents well enough to know how they'd react, but the people you hang out with and your grandfather would definitely have problems with it. Even if there were no legal percussions, you'd still face serious social ones. It's not worth the risk."

"Not worth the risk." Scorpius repeated, seeing where this was going. The Gryffindor was trying to break up with him. To end things between them. And he wasn't even being asked his opinion, Scorpius thought furiously, he was being told how things were to be. Like he didn't even have a say in the matter.

"Scorpius, you know I'm right." Al reached out, tenderly cupping the other man's cheek in his hand. He wished that they'd had one last perfect night together, that they'd actually been able to spend a whole night together just once. But it was foolish to put it off and tempt the fates, Al told himself sternly, struggling to keep his thoughts and emotions in check. "It's just ending between us a little early." Al continued, trying to believe that. "This was inadvertable and you know it."

Scorpius's response was to push the man back up against the stone wall, moving in so that his lover had nowhere to go as he reached up to grip the lapels of the man's robes. "You listen to me and you listen good, Potter. You are not dumping me. Nobody dumps me. I'm a Slytherin, that means that I do whatever the hell I want and anyone who doesn't like it can go fuck themselves. It's over when I say it's over. And it is not over between us. Not even close. Things are going to stay the way they are now and if you don't like it than that's your problem, not mine. Talk about leaving me before school's done again, and I'll chain you up in one of the old detention rooms in the dungeons until you learn your lesson. And I'm a Slytherin, you know that not only will I do that, but I really will keep you there until you're begging me to take you back."

Al couldn't begin to think of what to say to that, the image Scorpius had just painted in his mind too vivid in his brain.

Scorpius leaned in to press a punishing, bruising kiss against the Gryffindor's lips, finally pulling away to issue his parting shot and warning. "Run from me and I will hunt you down. Count on it. You. Are. Mine."

And quite sure that he had gotten his point across now Scorpius backed up and left without so much as a backward glance.

Al stared in the direction that Scorpius had gone, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor as he stared off into space.

"Damn. What a man."


	25. Way To Start The Day

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it is. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Way To Start The Day

Sitting on his bed, Rorake was in the process of tying his shoe laces when he heard his bedroom door being opened. Assuming that it was Scorpius, Rorake didn't bother to look up as he finished what he was doing. "Did you two kiss and make up or has your ass finally been dumped by someone?"

"You need to come with me."

Slowly lifting his head Rorake stared at the woman, a fissure of awareness going down his spine as he identified his visitor. "Excuse me?"

Natalia thought she'd been pretty clear. "I need you to come with me. And if you're still drawing you should bring all your sketches of the prince with you."

Rorake thought about refusing, but only for a moment. She wouldn't be stopped after all, and the fan club was legion. They'd get him sooner or later. No point in putting off the inadvertable was his philosophical decision. "All right, just give me a minute."

Getting to his feet Rorake walked over to pick up his satchel, shrugged it onto his shoulder after making sure everything he needed for the day was inside. He had his regular, everyday sketchbook in the bag and there were some old pictures of Weasley in it. He wouldn't show her or anyone else the sketchbook he'd started that was devoted solely to the Gryffindor. Those drawings were for his eyes alone.

Following her out of the room Rorake ignored all the looks he was getting, letting Natalia lead the way since she knew where they were going. Their destination turned out to be an old, unused classroom near the Slytherin hallway. Walking inside after holding the door open for her Rorake paused in the doorway, having caught sight of what and who waited for him.

Not being an idiot, Rorake knew as soon as he saw the other three presidents of the Prince Louis fan club that he was in trouble. Serious trouble. He could potentially end up castrated kind of trouble. One or two of them he could handle, but all four of them was a whole other story. That could definitely be a problem. A very big problem. Especially since Louis wasn't around to rein them in.

Lamia Holmes of Gryffindor, Marie Whistledown of Ravenclaw, Natalia Trenton of Slytherin, and Magdelena Bohner of Hufflepuff.

Almost the four most dangerous women in Hogwarts.

From the stories he'd heard from Al, Professor Tonks was in a league of her own.

"You know why you're here." It wasn't a question Lamia was asking and Rorake didn't take it as such. "We want to know your intentions."

His intentions? Were they serious? Yup, judging by their faces, they were dead serious, he surmised. And he would be the one who would end up dead if they didn't like what he told them. But just what was he supposed to tell them? That he had honorable intentions? What healthy eighteen year old man had honorable intentions when it came to someone they were attracted to? And he was starting to think that he wouldn't mind adding sketches to his notebook that Louis Weasley willingly modeled for. Wearing a lot less clothing. On a bed or comfortable flat surface.

But he was still working out his precise intentions towards Freckles, other than to continue drawing and irritating the other man. Those were now a given. "I don't know what's going to happen between us but I'd appreciate you all letting us find out." Rorake finally said, hoping to buy time while he thought of something better to say.

Marie of Ravenclaw nodded her head, a hint of amusement in her eyes as she studied him with great interest. "You should be aware that our prince gave all members of the club rules when the club was originally founded. We aren't allowed to interfere in his love life and we're not allowed to cause physical or mental harm to the man he's seeing unless we have his permission first. He gave us several sheets of parchment detailing how we're supposed to behave towards anyone he became romantically interested in. We all gave our word to follow those rules and we will stand by it. We just wanted to let you know that we're aware of the situation, have researched every aspect of your life thoroughly, and have decided not to…politely suggest you stop breathing the same air as our prince."

"Good to know." Rorake wanted to ask what sort of information they'd found out, but knew better than to ask. He was probably better off not knowing. Not that he was ashamed of his life so far, but there were definitely some skeletons in his family's closet. Still, they weren't going to curse him and that was something.

The Hufflepuff now stepped forward with several sheets of paper in her hand. She held them out to the Slytherin who took them with a questioning look in his eyes. "This is paperwork I need you to fill out for me as soon as possible." Her voice made it clear that she wasn't asking.

Reading the title of the first page Rorake's eyebrows rose when he realized what the paperwork was for. "You want me to apply for dual citizenship? To Canada?" It was true that his mother's people were from Canada and that his mother's grandparents still lived there, but why would he want dual citizenship? Did the club want to ship him out to the colonies?

"You were born prematurely in the country when your mother went to visit her grandparents there. Due to that fact you have a legitimate reason for applying and being accepted." Magdelena told him with a piercing gaze, explaining herself since she doubted the Slytherin would figure it out on his own. "Should you be caught in a compromising position with our prince I would have a chance of getting you off without even a fine if I could argue that you're a Canadian citizen. Over there it's not only legal for wizards to be involved with each other, but you two could actually get married if you so chose to. It's not a get out of jail free card, but it would certainly help me convince the courts that trying you would be a waste of their time and money. The courts would probably dismiss the charges since our prince can't be tried anyway."

"Ah." Damn but they were good, Rorake thought as he opened his satchel and slid the paperwork in, impressed with their ingenuity. "I'll give it to Natalia as soon as I'm finished."

"That will be fine." Natalia's gaze watched him move to secure the clasp on his bag. "You might as well keep the bag open and get out your sketchbook."

Retrieving his sketchbook Rorake showed them the pictures that included their beloved Louis. He took it as a good sign when they asked for copies of the pictures instead of demanding them like he was at their mercy. And he honestly didn't mind sharing them when it was so obvious how much they appreciated them. In fact, they were so obviously gaga over the pictures that Rorake saw a lot of picture bribing in his immediate future.

Which was fine by him, Rorake thought as he watched them copy his pictures onto fresh pieces of parchment. He'd trade his pictures for access to their prince any day.

)

Once they'd gotten their pictures and his promise to supply them with more the presidents departed, leaving Rorake behind with Natalia. Putting his sketchbook away Rorake gave the Slytherin president a questioning look. "Are you the reason they went easy on me?" He was from her house after all.

"Do I look like the saving type?"

"Not really." Was his honest answer. "But I can't believe that promise would keep you girls from leaning on me. I'll bet you do plenty behind his back that he's never found out about."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement of that fact. Her prince was far too delicate to carry the weight of some of their…after school activities on his behalf. "True. But the fact remains that you're the first man our prince has shown interest in. That makes you special. At least in our eyes. And after reading over the information Marie and Magdelena collected on you, I suppose I'm seeing you in a different light." And now she straightened as she forced the words out. "And I owe you an apology. I've said less than kind things about you and your…intelligence. Marie analyzed your OWLs essays and she says that odds are you suffer from Delsym Syndrome. She explained what that is…and why you were probably never diagnosis as having it."

Oh they were good, Rorake thought, not bothering to acknowledge their findings. He and Al thought he suffered from Delsym Syndrome too. But as she had said, his parents would never have allowed him to be tested. Just as his grandparents hadn't had his father tested. Because those who suffered the effects of the learning disability had centaur blood in them. The disease showed up four generations after the blood was introduced into the line and had been plaguing the men of his line since his grandfather.

And like any good Slytherin, the men in his family had preferred to be labeled stupid. That was better to them than admitting their blood had been polluted by something even worse than a Muggle.

"If you need any help we would all be willing to help you." Natalia offered when he didn't deny or confirm.

Rorake nodded his head in acknowledgement of the offer. "Thanks, but I have help if I need it."

"The offer stands…so long as you treat our prince right."

"There's always a catch with you."

)

Louis was waiting for Lysander when the Ravenclaw came out of his dorm room with his twin. Both were surprised to see the Gryffindor, Lorcan picking up on the other man's undercurrents while Lysander remained blissfully oblivious. Happy to see his friend, Lysander hurried over to their friend with a skip to his step.

"Hi, Louis! What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to ask you a question before I forgot." Louis kept a smile on his face as he moved to walk in between the twins, not wanting Lorcan to get in his way as they headed for the Great Hall. "Someone asked me if you were friends with that Slytherin guy, the one whose dad was Draco Malfoy's lackey. I told them you weren't, but she said she saw you hugging the guy so…well I thought I'd ask. You know me and my curiosity."

"Oh, he's not really my friend, though now that I know how nice he is I hope maybe he'll want to be." Lysander was all wide eyed innocence. "He has really beautiful eyes, very kind. I never noticed before."

Louis had to work hard not to grinch his teeth. It was not good for his perfect teeth, he reminded himself. "Does he? I never noticed." Which was a bold faced lie of course, but he'd fall out the nearest window before he'd admit it.

"Lysander found the guy's sketchbook in the library." Lorcan volunteered, still a little annoyed that his brother had so unexpectedly found such an awesome birthday present for their mother. "The Slytherin gave Ly one of his pictures as a thank you, one of the two of us. He's going to give it to our mother for her birthday."

"He's an artist?" This was news to him.

Lysander nodded enthusiastically, sorry he didn't have the picture to show his friend. "He's amazingly good, Louis. I looked at the book and I've never met someone so talented. He does people best, though he draws other stuff really well too."

"Huh." Very pissed off that the other man knew something this important and he hadn't, Louis made a mental note to up the intended punishments for his misbehaving Slytherin. Maybe Lysander had just hugged the other man as thanks, Ly was the affectionate type, but Rory had let him and that was a big no no. That the other man was drawing pictures of Lysander pissed him off too.

There had better be pictures of him in that sketchbook too or the Slytherin was going to die, Louis thought darkly. He'd show the guy's quill down his throat.

Lorcan wasn't sure what was going through Louis's head but he thought it best to finish the conversation and than move onto another topic. "You can tell your friend that it's only a matter of time before Goyle becomes Lysander's friend. If the girl really cares, I mean." His twin could be very tenacious about some things. If Ly was determined to be someone's friend than his brother would dog that person until they gave in. Trust his brother to want to make friends with a Slytherin.

Louis nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself as he grimly replied. "I'll do that."

)

Arriving at the Gryffindor table Louis raised an eyebrow at the sight of Al with his head buried in his arms. Since his best friend was surrounded by their family, Louis got as close as he could, nudging Hugo questioningly as he sat down. "What's wrong with him?"

"We're not quite sure." Hugo answered, shrugging his thin shoulders. "Other than saying he's alright, he's been doing nothing but muttering something about being a Bond babe. That was about all we could get out of him."

Well that didn't sound good. Really didn't sound good, actually.

Getting to his feet again Louis walked over to tap Rosie on her shoulder. "Let me at him. I'll get all the facts."

"Good luck." Getting to her feet Rosie headed off to sit with her brother, hoping that Louis would have better luck getting a straight answer out of Al than she had. All that muttering about being a Bond babe had sort of freaked her out, not the least because bad things so often happened to the babes who fell for Bond. Assuming he meant James Bond, which was the only Bond she could think of.

Taking her seat Louis slugged an arm over Al's shoulder, giving the man a little shake. "You were already gone when I woke up this morning. You had something you had to do?" He'd gone to bed early and when he'd woken up to find his cousin gone he'd just assumed that Al had decided to go running or do some exercising in the Room of Requirement. Now he was thinking Malfoy had had something to do with Al's early rising and that whatever had happened was not good for his cousin's mental well being.

Al raised his head, looking plenty miserable. "I went splat."

"You went splat?" Louis repeated, his confusion obvious.

"I hit bottom."

Louis's brows furrowed with concentration, trying to figure out why Al would be depressed about falling. The man was a Quidditch player, falling was second nature to him. And then Louis's eyes went wide as he realized just what Al was implying. "You…Bond made you hit bottom?"

Al nodded, looking very much like a man who'd just been told he had terminal cancer.

"Well crap."

"I don't understand. Why do you keep talking about Bond? Who is Bond and what did he do to you, Al?" Lily sat on her brother's other side, reminding the two that they had company and couldn't talk as freely as they would have liked. Because even though she was Moneypenny, neither Louis nor Al had any intention of filling her in.

"Long story, Lily. Long story." Was all Louis would say, giving Lily a look that told her not to ask for more information.

Al, meanwhile, went back to staring at his plate. He'd always figured that the day he fell in love would be the happiest day of his life. Or at least in the top ten. Of course he'd never expected Malfoy to be the love of his life either. It had hit him out of nowhere and yet he should have seen it coming, Al thought ruefully. He'd known he'd been falling, but he'd been so convinced in the back of his mind that he could stop himself before he took that final fall. That he had too much sense to give his heart to a Malfoy. But he'd fallen, and he'd hit hard.

Scorpius Malfoy had looked him dead in the eye and told him that he belonged to him whether he liked it or not.

And so he'd fallen like a ton of bricks, just like that.

Dammit.

It was said that Potters loved young and only once. Of course that could just be a romantic legend, but Al had always believed it to be true. Which meant he was now doomed, at the age of only seventeen, to spend the rest of his life in love with a man who would never love him back. Who would never, even for a moment, entertain the idea of making a life with him. He was in love with someone who was completely and totally out of his emotional reach.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Shifting his hold Louis rubbed his best friend's shoulder in what he hoped was a soothing manner. After all, there was nothing he could say that would make this remotely better for the other man and they both knew it. At least the Slytherin he was interested in wasn't a Death Eater in the making.

And remembering that he was interested in the Slytherin at all was enough to depress Louis too.

Neither ate much of anything for breakfast.

Which Andromeda didn't fail to notice.


	26. If You Dare

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's that. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

If You Dare

It was during a Care of Magical Creatures class that Rorake and Al finally found a chance to talk without prying ears. Both had a lot to discuss and they were grateful when Hagrid's assignment for the day was to spread out in a designated area of the Forbidden Forest on a sort of scavenger hunt. The object was to find as many indications of wildlife as they could during the class period. Hagrid was still pretty sick and the scavenger hunt was the best he could come up with in his highly medicated state. Most everyone had done a cursory look, collected one or two things from the forest, and then headed back for the castle without a backward glance. They all figured that they could just use some of their potion ingredients and pass them off to Hagrid when he came back from sick leave.

But Al and Rorake were in no hurry to escape the cold and walked through the forest as Al explained to his friend how he'd had the misfortunate to fall for Scorpius that morning.

"Well that sucks." Was the best Rorake could come up with after Al had summarized his conversation with Scorpius and how things now stood between them. "So what are you going to do? Are you going to tell him that you're in love with him?"

"Judging from his reaction to me telling him I was just falling, I can't see me telling him I'm in love with him going over well." Al shrugged with a rueful look on his windblown face. "And the last thing I need is him having that to hold over my head. The last time I used the L word in his presence he got even more bossy than usual."

"Which is saying something."

Al laughed in agreement. "I don't know what to do about our…relationship though. He meant it when he said that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He's determined that we stay together until school is over. And I'm not really good at saying no where he's concerned."

Rorake was willing to bet that was a serious understatement, but he didn't need any more mental images. After a minute or two of contemplation the Slytherin gave his friend his opinion. "I'd play hard to get. It will lessen the chances of you two getting caught and when he does finally catch you he'll appreciate you more. He's not used to having to work for it if you know what I mean. It would do him some good."

"I'll take that under advisement." Lips twitching, Al gave Rorake a considering look, hoping to distract himself. "Anything new with you, besides the fact that you got hugged by Lysander yesterday that is?"

Rorake raised an eyebrow, having a feeling that there was some hidden reason Al had brought up the hugging incident. But that could wait until after he'd told Al all about his meeting with the four presidents of the Prince Louis Fan Club.

"They even figured out that you have Delsym Syndrome? Damn but they are seriously good."

Rorake nodded his agreement. It wouldn't surprise him if they hadn't already figured out how the centaur blood had come into his family. One simply had to go back four generations after his grandfather, find out that that ancestor had been a horse crazy woman with an Animagi horse form, and well…they would get the idea. Though he preferred not to think about that, ever. The dynamics were almost as mind boggling as trying to figure out how Professor Hagrid's parents, human and giantess, had managed to procreate.

"Well since we're on the topic of Louis's fan club, you might wanna do some kissing up where my cousin is concerned. He's convinced you're either putting the moves on both him and Lysander or you're simply unaware of how you're supposed to be obsessed with him and ignoring everyone else. If he's unhappy with you than his fan club is unhappy with you and that would be very bad for your health."

"I'm supposed to be obsessed with him?"

"This is Louis we're talking about here."

His friend had a point. More amused than worried, Rorake gave Al a questioning look. "Just why does he think I'm putting the moves on your Ravenclaw friend? Just because the kid hugged me?"

Al was used to translating Louis's thought processes to others. "That and you gave him one of your pictures. Louis is now feeing slighted."

"I see."

)

When the two arrived back at the castle Al asked Rorake to wait a moment, digging out a piece of parchment from his satchel. Borrowing one of Rorake's pencils he scrawled a quick message before folding the parchment in half, trusting that his friend wouldn't peek. Well that and even if he did Al was fine with his Slytherin friend knowing his decision. "Deliver this to your roommate for me?"

Taking the piece of parchment from him Rorake nodded, sliding the paper into his coat pocket without looking at its contents. "Will do."

Al grinned. "Any message you want me to pass along to Louis?"

Rorake considered this, than opened his own satchel. Retrieving his sketchbook Rorake flipped through the pages until he came to a fresh sheet of parchment. With quick, steady strokes of the pencil Rorake quickly went to work on the rough sketch, his lips curling up in a slight smile as he imaged what the Gryffindor's response to it would be.

At least he'd get some points for originality. Hopefully.

Carefully removing the picture Rorake nodded in the direction of Al's satchel. "Do you have something in there you can slide this into until you give it to him? Or better yet, could you slip this into one of his books without him noticing?"

Taking the picture Al smiled at the drawing on the page. Louis was going to love it. "And it's more romantic that way too. I'll get it to him without him noticing. No problem." Carefully he put the piece of paper between the pages of one of his own books, already planning how to slip it into one of Louis's later.

"Thanks."

Both agreeing to fulfill their postal duties, the two friends parted ways.

Moving out of the shadows when the two were no longer within her sight Andromeda absently tapped her fingers against her crossed arms. Interesting, very interesting, she mused as she replayed their conversation in her mind. Not to mention terribly sloppy. Anyone could have overheard them. She and Harry had taught Albus better. The boy and her were going to have a talk later.

But men were often too stupid for words. It was why the world was always on the brisk of going to hell in a hand basket.

So Goyle's grandson was interested in Louis. That would be interesting to watch. It was hard to guess what Louis's reaction to the Slytherin's interest would be, but Albus's voice and tone had indicated that he thought his cousin would be receptive to the attention. No one outside of Louis's immediate family knew the boy better so she was prepared to trust Albus's instincts on the matter.

And as interesting as it was to speculate about that relationship there was something that interested her more than Louis and Rorake Goyle.

Just what sort of message had Albus written and given to the Slytherin?

Goyles were Malfoy lackeys. They had been for as long as she could remember. Odds were high then, that the roommate Goyle was delivering the note to was her great nephew. What sort of message could Albus need to send to Scorpius? A note of challenge? She thought not. Albus wasn't the sort to borrow trouble and apparently the centaur who had made the prediction about Albus had stated that the danger would not be coming from Scorpius. At least not yet. The boy had enough trouble without adding Scorpius to the mix and he knew it. Albus wasn't stupid.

If, and it was a very big if, but if the letter was romantic in nature than surely Albus had the sense not to trust someone else to deliver the note for him. Unless of course the Goyle boy was regularly tapped to play errand boy, she amended thoughtfully. It was logical to assume that Goyle was under Scorpius's thumb after all. Lackeys didn't dare undermine their masters if they wanted to remain lackeys and Scorpius would not be someone anyone would cross willingly. He was part Black after all.

She would have to have a talk with her great nephew and Albus, Andromeda decided. And soon.

)

Having arrived at the Great Hall early, Scorpius sat in his habitual seat and waited for the rest of the students to arrive. He was glad there was no one around him; that would give him time to think. He'd overreacted with Potter earlier. In hindsight the other man had had a valued point. Just thinking about his grandfather's reaction if his affair with the Gryffindor got out had Scorpius's blood running cold. Especially since he couldn't back up his actions with proof that he'd corrupted Potter in the slightest. Because he hadn't. He had definitely not been the one doing the corrupting. Potter had turned him on to guy sex for Merlin's sake. Talk about corrupting a man!

And it was doubly dangerous now that his great aunt was here. If she was anything like his grandmother then very little would get past her. And since she was at the school to keep an eye on his lover the odds were she'd notice them being together and not trying to kill each other. And given how the sparks flew whenever they were now in each other's company…well it was probably a given that she'd pick up on something sooner or later.

She wouldn't turn him in, Scorpius reasoned, but she'd probably use the information to make him pay somehow, especially since Potter wouldn't get off scot free if their affair was discovered by someone else.

Yes, it was probably in his best interests to concede Potter's point and let things end on a somewhat positive note.

But he hated the idea of admitting that the Gryffindor was right, the Slytherin fumed. And he especially hated the idea of not spending his nights screwing the other man's brains out. He'd really, really gotten to love that part of the day.

Tapping his fingers on the table Scorpius admitted to himself that he had no choice in the matter. What was between him and Potter had to end, just as the man had suggested earlier.

Looking over as Rorake took a seat beside him, Scorpius didn't bother to say hi, too busy thinking about how to dump Potter without it seeming redundant. Because while Potter had technically dumped him that morning Scorpius refused to be a man anyone would dump. He always did the dumping and that wasn't going to change just because he was dealing with another man.

Blinking when a piece of paper was held out in front of him Scorpius stared at the parchment blankly for a moment and then took it. "What's this?"

"A message."

Knowing instinctively who it was from Scorpius unfolded the note and quickly read the single sentence boldly scratched across the paper's surface.

Scorpius stared at the words for several heartbeats before refolding it, setting the piece of paper down on the table as he stared straight ahead. "Oh it's on now." He growled, his eyes cold steel as he began to plot with deadly precision.

Trusting that Scorpius was lost in his own thoughts once more Rorake took the paper off the table and unfolded it to get a look at the message he'd just delivered. Staring down at the words Rorake's lips twitched with amusement he didn't dare express as he read the words written on the parchment.

_CATCH ME IF YOU DARE_

)

Sitting up against his bed's headboard Louis cursed the fact that he was stuck wasting his beauty sleep awake and doing homework. If he had to be awake than he would have much rather spent the time plotting various punishments for his stupid Slytherin. And the fact that the dumb Slytherin had brainwashed him into thinking of him as his Slytherin was just one more reason the man had to pay.

Staring down at the textbook Louis thought not for the first time that as soon as he left Hogwarts he would burn all his school books in a celebratory fire. Complete with smores and hot chocolate. It would be a very happy day indeed.

Flipping through the book's pages Louis's fingers stalled at a page that didn't look like a textbook page at all. Going back to the strange page Louis stared at the sheet of parchment that had magically appeared in between the book's pages since the last time he'd opened it.

The picture on the page was done in cartoon style, the lone figure's defining features exaggerated to a comical degree. He knew who it was, though inwardly Louis thought that the man the cartoon was based on was a lot better looking than how he had portrayed himself in the drawing.

But it was what was in the man's hand that had Louis going all mushy.

Rory had drawn himself holding out a bouquet of tulips. To him.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwww."

"Awww what?" Al asked from his own bed, playing dumb. Besides, he knew that Louis would be doubly happy about the present if he got the chance to brag about it.

And sure enough, Louis was out of his bed in a flash and was sitting beside Al on his bed before his cousin could even blink. Their heads pressed against each other's Louis eagerly showed off his present. "Look, look, look. Look what he gave me! And he snuck it into my textbook without me noticing!"

"Very cute. I especially like the way he gave himself puppy dog eyes." Admiring the picture Al thought not for the first time that Louis and Rory were doing this the right way. Rorake was romancing his cousin the way you were supposed to romance someone you were interested in. He had never romanced Scorpius and Scorpius had never romanced him. They'd skipped all the usual steps and he hadn't even made the Slytherin buy him dinner first. No wonder they were so doomed, Al thought with an inner pang of regret. They had zero foundation to build on.

"He's so talented." Enormously pleased by that fact Louis couldn't wait to see more of the Slytherin's work. In his mind Rory was far more acceptable because he was an artist and artists needed muses. It was therefore reasonable to assume that the fates had caused his crush on the other man in order to inspire the Slytherin to artistic greatness.

Al didn't think someone's talent could be judged by one picture, but since Rory really was that talented he saw no reason to contradict his cousin. "I'm sure he'd be happy to draw you plenty of pictures." The guy had countless sketchbooks full of material after all.

"Plenty of works of art." Louis corrected.

Al nodded back solemnly. "Exactly."

)

Working away in his sketchbook Rorake glanced up, noting the time with a wince. It was late and Scorpius usually turned in early if he wasn't meeting up with Al. Looking over in the direction of his roommate's bed Rorake wondered why Scorpius hadn't complained about the light yet. That was his standard MO about such things. Of course it had been a while since he'd gotten so caught up in his drawing that he'd forgotten Scorpius's presence in the room.

"Is the light bothering you?" He called out, wondering if maybe the other man had been so tired that he'd fallen asleep despite the light.

Scorpius answered from the other side of the room. "I'll tell you when it is."

Not doubting that for a moment Rorake turned his attention to his drawing, which he would slip to Al sometime after breakfast. He was holding a bouquet of tiger lilies in this drawing and he thought that they'd turned out rather well considering he was drawing from memory. He wasn't much for drawing flora, or cartoons for that matter. But he wanted to keep things light between them until he had some idea of just what Louis Weasley had planned for them. He was Slytherin enough that he refused to go mushy without damn good reason.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"If someone says 'Catch me if you dare', does that mean that they think you're going to fail and therefore it's safe to taunt you, or does it mean that they just want to be chased?"

"In your case, I think it means that if you expect to get any from the Gryffindor before school ends, you're going to have to step up your game."

"Step up my game? The sex couldn't get any better. We'd simultaneously combust."

Rorake rolled his eyes. "Way too much information, my friend. Seriously. And that's not what I meant. What I meant is that Potter wasn't exaggerating when he said that there are serious consequences to what you're doing. What he's saying is that you need to give him a damn good reason why he should keep sleeping with you and risking both your necks. Even if you manage to get him back into bed, that's not catching him by the way."

Confusion in his voice, it was obviously Scorpius didn't see how that wasn't the goal. "How is that not catching him?"

"Because detaining isn't catching, Scorpius. You have to make him want to stay for it to count."


	27. A Slippery Slope

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

A Slippery Slope

It was never wise to speculate, Al reminded himself as he walked down the deserted, echoing corridor. Just because Andromeda had asked to see him didn't mean that there was anything he needed to worry about. Which was a bald faced lie, Al thought with a snort of self derision. It was never good when Andromeda asked to see him so formally, especially when there was no obvious reason for her to need to talk to him.

Well, at least Louis had promised to wait up for him, that was something, the Gryffindor reasoned. Talks with Andromeda could be very traumatizing. Not that Louis had been very sympathetic to his plight, Al thought darkly as he turned into the next hallway. No, his cousin had been on cloud nine all week and absolutely refused to come down. The cartoon pictures Rory slipped him to slip to Louis were earning the Slytherin serious brownie points and Louis was constantly appearing with well kissed lips, indicating he was seeking the Slytherin out to thank him enthusiastically and often.

Al was man enough to admit he was seriously jealous of the two emerging lovebirds. Scorpius hadn't spoken to him since he'd issued his written challenge.

Damn his snaky hide.

Arriving at Andromeda's door Al knocked, not at all surprised when it was opened promptly. Andromeda was always prompt about everything. "Good evening, Andromeda." Al pasted a smile on his face. "I hope I'm not late."

"No, you're on time. Come in, Albus."

Walking into the room Al followed her into the small parlor area, noting the pictures she'd set out on various surfaces. Andromeda never went anywhere without her family pictures. They were the only stamp she'd put on the otherwise charmless, ordinary room. Taking the seat she motioned him into Al took it as a bad sign when she didn't offer him anything to drink. "So we're having a serious conversation?" Al asked as he watched her take a seat across from him.

"I think it will be a short one." Was Andromeda's cool response as she straightened her skirts, getting straight to the point. "Are you involved with my great nephew?"

Al was very grateful she hadn't offered him anything to drink because he would have choked on it. "Excuse me?"

"I'll take that as a yes. I had three other possibilities but he hasn't shown any interest in them since I started paying close attention to his interactions with others. The same cannot be said in your case. How long has this been going on?"

Al's first thought was to ask what had given then away, exactly, but in all honesty he probably didn't want to know. He didn't want to talk about anything remotely related to sex with the woman watching him so calmly. She was another grandmother to him after all and one just did not willingly talk about such things with their grandmothers unless facing imminent death otherwise.

"A while. But it's probably over now." Al finally volunteered, seeing no way to wiggle out of her question.

Andromeda raised a single eyebrow. "And why is that?"

He thought hard about lying, but knew she'd see right through him. The thing about Andromeda was that she made you feel obligated to spill your guts because in some part of your brain you were afraid she'd literally spill your guts if you lied to her. Honesty was always the best policy.

"Because I love him and can't have him. I don't want to ruin his life for a few more months of…his company. And being with me would do that…as you know. As he knows."

Okay, it looked like her feminine intuition had taken some hits from menopause after all, Andromeda thought wryly as she processed his blunt answer. She knew he wasn't lying, he knew better than to try. She hadn't seen that that was the extent of Albus feelings towards Scorpius though. They'd been looking at each other strangely all week, giving off a vibe that had set off her instincts sure enough, but she'd assumed that the two had developed chemistry over the years but because of their gender, families and common sense, had chosen not to act on the uncomfortable feelings they inspired in each other and remain apart.

Now she was pretty sure they'd been going at it like rabbits, despite the laws currently in place.

Not that Albus would say so, but it was in the boy's voice.

"So has Scorpius ended his relationship with you, or you with him?"

"I did…he wasn't pleased but then realized I had a point."

"Interesting. Very interesting. And he just gave up?" If the boy weren't the spitting image of his father and grandfather she'd think one of their wives had cheated. No one with Black blood would run away from the one they desired just because of some silly, outdated law. Obviously Malfoy blood was more lethal than she'd given it credit for.

"I think so."

"Well if he's really my great grandnephew I wouldn't count on it."

Al looked at the woman who watched him so calmly. "That's not comforting."

"It wasn't meant to be."

)

Scorpius gave serious thought to what Rorake had said that week. About how he couldn't just use sex if he wanted the Gryffindor back in his bed and life. That made no sense to him at all though, because sex was what he wanted from the other man and vice versa. What more could the man possibly want from him?

And since he wasn't an idiot, Scorpius had to ask himself why exactly he was so hung up on Potter if sex was really all he was interested in. Sex was hotter and more interesting with the Gryffindor, but why was he willing to risk dire consequences for it when he could get it elsewhere without the risk. The sex had been just fine before he'd started nailing the Gryffindor against every flat surface they could find.

So if it wasn't the sex, or at least not all about that, then what else was there?

Thinking about Potter made Scorpius think about the time he'd been spending with the other man. The incredibly hot and powerful sex they'd had on the piano bench. Their intense little duel in DADA before it had ended. Their walk through the forest together, and the time the Gryffindor had sung those few lines from the piano man's song to him. The way the man looked when he laughed or was amused. And the way the Gryffindor argued with him and teased him. How it felt to have the man in his arms and vice versa. Potter's eyes.

Damn.

Potter was making him feel something the Slytherin didn't understand and couldn't name. It was eating at him, chipping away at him so that Scorpius felt exposed and vulnerable every time he thought about it. Which meant he didn't want to think about it but couldn't seem to stop either, Scorpius thought darkly.

Just what did he want from Potter and how could he stop wanting it so badly?

Thoughts like that resulted in the Slytherin getting little sleep or peace of mind.

By the end of the week Scorpius had more questions about his relationship with Potter than he had answers.

So here he was, Scorpius thought darkly, standing in a Hogsmeade's store wondering if he should buy the stupid Gryffindor something as a bribe. The man had made it pretty clear that he could easily be bought or bribed with chocolate and this store sold the best that could be found in the tiny village.

Just how much chocolate did sex cost?

And while Scorpius pondered that question he remained oblivious to the fact that he was being watched through the window of the store.

)

Draco Malfoy didn't watch his son for long. Scorpius would have noticed eventually and would not have been pleased. He could tell the boy wasn't in a good mood already, and his presence would only have made things worse to his son's way of thinking. And that in mind Draco continued on his way, ignoring the students milling around on their way to various shops. He could remember doing the same when he was their ages, but it wasn't nostalgia he felt for those days. He had no liking for the boy he'd been then. Scorpius wouldn't have liked him then either.

Scorpius's father was about a block away from the store his son had been in when it happened. It had rained the night before and the air had become cold enough to freeze the excess water left behind in the various potholes on the road he was on. The Slytherin's feet hitting a particularly large one Draco barely had time to curse before he fell backward, landing hard on his rear end.

Groaning at the pain radiating through the lower half of his body Draco winced as he moved his hands to brace on either side of him, intending to try and get up.

"Careful, you went down pretty hard."

He didn't recognize the voice, but Draco was sore enough to let the owner of the voice grab his upper arms and help him to his feet. Bracing his own hands on the man's shoulders for support Draco only then met the eyes of his helper.

"That figures."

"I know. The irony strikes me as well." Al's smile was a wry one as he kept a tight grip on the older man arms. The man he was supporting was his father's enemy, a man who'd caused his family considerable pain and hurt years before. But it wasn't a monster's eyes he was looking into, Albus thought as they studied each other with interest. And they weren't like Lucius's or Scorpius's either. The grey eyes that looked into his, well, they reminded him of his Uncle George's actually. Like Draco Malfoy had also lost some intrinsic pieces of himself along the way and mourned the loss.

Draco stared into the Potter green eyes and felt, in the back of his mind, the instinctive urge to lash out. To belittle and harm the younger man without any reason or provocation. It was an urge that Draco was very familiar with and like the sight of the students earlier made him remember a youth he'd sooner forget. But Draco Malfoy had reached a point where the only people he actually wanted to lash out and harm were those who meant his wife, son and mother harm. And that was not the case here. As it was, from what he'd heard, the young man before him had shown the patience of a saint where Scorpius was concerned.

Still, Draco was Malfoy enough that the thought of thanking a Potter turned his stomach. "You can let go now. I'm fine."

Al did as Scorpius's father asked but was braced to grab the other man if he started to weave. But the older man stood straight and tall, probably fighting the pain through sheer Malfoy stubbornness. Knowing better than to expect thanks, Al decided to beat as hasty a retreat as possible. "If you're looking for your son I think I saw him go into the chocolate shop back that way." Shopping for a bribe no doubt, Al thought wryly. He could only pray the Slytherin didn't have the sense to buy the good stuff.

"I'm here on business." Draco's voice went overly stiff and cool, as it tended to do when it came to his only offspring. Though Scorpius was more his own father's son than he had ever been, he thought sadly.

"Business?" Al's surprise was written all over his face. "What sort of business?"

"None of your business."

Al crossed his arms in front of him. "Seeing as you can't even say thank you, I think it's only fair that you at least answer my simple question. Unless your business is something I shouldn't know about as the son of an Auror."

Images of the boy following him to find out what he was up to floating through his mind Draco gave the Gryffindor an icy cold look as he answered. "I'm here to check out a piece of property for my father in law. Someone else was supposed to do it today but his wife went into premature labor. We need to seal the deal soon and I was available."

Scorpius had mentioned something about his mother's money coming from real estate, and there was a building up for sale nearby, Al recalled. Interesting. After all, the father in law probably wouldn't have sent Scorpius's father to the site if he didn't feel his son in law was capable of completing the task. He doubted that Draco Malfoy was the type who wouldn't know when he was being humored or played. Which meant, technically, that Scorpius's father was involved in a legitimate form or business and contributing, somewhat, to society in a positive way.

No wonder he and Scorpius didn't get along.

And because he was in love with the man's bad boy son Al found himself speaking before thinking, foolishly wanting to know the Scorpius that Draco knew. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

Draco simply goggled at the boy. He couldn't do anything else as he tried to process the boy's request without any success.

"My cousin, a friend and I are going to open a business of our own once school's done." Al explained, thinking desperately on his feet. "And we'll have to start looking for a place soon. But none of us knows a thing about real estate and what to watch out for. Maybe you could give me some pointers? Consider it part of the thanks you won't say."

The Slytherin stared at the boy. The response that came to mind was crude, sarcastic, and very Slytherin. But he hesitated because his next thought was that the boy was up to something. Perhaps Potter's offspring really did think he was up to no good and was testing him. If that were the case…Draco knew he would have to suck it up and prove himself to the boy. The last thing he needed was the Chosen One after him and his father in law's business. He and his former, childhood nemesis had reached a point where they pretended the other didn't exist and that suited Draco just fine. He wanted to be invisible to everyone outside his immediate family. And what would it hurt to let the boy follow him, Draco mentally added. He would be taking notes with a Quick Quill which meant he'd be speaking out loud anyway. And maybe, just maybe, while they walked around he could talk to the boy about Scorpius a little. He wanted to know what sort of man his son was becoming in the eyes of Harry Potter's son, especially this one, who didn't look at him the way most people tended to do. And as pathetic as it was, he was hungry enough for information about his boy to try and gain it from Potter's son.

So he told the boy he could come if he liked and was only half surprised when the Gryffindor fell into step beside him.

)

Both Al and Draco were very surprised to find that they could tolerate being in the same room together for an extended period of time. That wasn't to say they weren't a little uneasy with each other's company, but they weren't on edge either. Al found the other man to be on the quiet side, speaking only when necessary to him or the Quick Quill. The man knew his business, Al thought, or at least he sounded like he did. It really wasn't his area of expertise after all.

Draco found the boy to be on the curious side, but not annoyingly so. The questions the boy asked about his business weren't stupid ones anyway. Albus Potter seemed a lot like his father, Draco decided, but a lot more tolerable to be around thanks to the lack of Granger and Weasley.

Moving from room to room Draco made notes and Al asked questions, both slipping in questions involving Scorpius with what they both thought was great skill and tact. Neither was aware that the other was pumping them for information about the Malfoy heir.

Draco wasn't sure what to make of the fact that his son and the Potter boy weren't fighting in any way anymore. A far cry from his own school relationship with the boy's father, he thought wryly. He'd heard his son complain to his own father that Albus Potter refused to be baited or induced into fight with Scorpius under any circumstances. It had been a real bone of contention for the two of them from what Draco had overheard of their conversations. Was his son behavior where the Gryffindor was concerned because Scorpius had clued into the fact that there was no need to hate the boy simply because of his bloodline and parentage? That was probably too much to hope, Draco thought dryly, and with a great deal of regret. As Scorpius's father it should have been his job to teach his son that, but his son had stopped listening to him long ago. He'd imagine the boy wouldn't care a whit if he were to drop dead where he stood that moment. In fact, Scorpius probably would have been happy because it would have given him an excuse to kill the Potter boy, claiming that the Gryffindor was somehow responsible for his demise.

Thinking about his son tended to depress Draco a great deal as the years went by. He was depressed enough as it was according to his wife. And since she loved and had to live with him, she would know.

Al meanwhile, had learned something important from talking with Draco as well. The man and his son were very estranged, but Scorpius's father didn't want it to be that way. In fact, Al would go so far as to say that the man loved Scorpius very much and was very hurt by the fact that his son stayed away from him.

And the older man was worried about Scorpius future, very worried.

He could relate to that feeling.


	28. Words Are Exchanged

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Words Are Exchanged

After they'd spent well over an hour running through the entire building Al turned and gave the older man a questioning look, trying to hide his new, ulterior motive. "Since we're done here and I still have questions, want to go to the Three Broomsticks and get something hot to drink? It's too cold in here without heating and…and that was a stupid question, sorry. You wouldn't want to be seen with me." Like Draco Malfoy would ever want to be seen in public with him, Al thought as he mentally whacked himself upside the head. That was about as likely to happen as Scorpius was to propose to him someday.

Draco stared at the boy, stunned speechless. He couldn't remember the last time anyone outside his family had wanted to be seen in public with him. His own son didn't want to be seen with him. And here was Harry Potter's son, asking him to have a hot drink with him, in public, where everyone could see them. His company was actually wanted by someone, even if that someone was a Potter. And that fact had him speaking before he thought through his answer. "I'd like that."

Al blinked. "Really? I mean won't your father and Scorpius freak?"

Draco considered that, a gleam coming into his eyes that suggested some of his former spirit still resided within him. "That actually makes me not regret saying yes without thinking about it." Because while he did care what Scorpius thought of him Draco had long ago stopped letting his son's opinions dictate his actions. He'd never be what his son wanted him to be and frankly, Draco was determined not to be that man ever again. And as for pissing off Lucius, well that was worth spending more time with the boy in Draco's books any day.

Amused by the man's response, Al jammed his hands into his pockets. "So we're going to get some hot chocolate or something?"

"I believe we are."

"Huh. Well I promise not to poison your drink when you're not looking if you promise not to poison mine when I'm not. Kay?" Al grinned impishly, wiggling his eyebrows.

Draco couldn't believe it when he actually made a sound resembling a chuckle.

)

Louis walked through one of his favorite Hogsmeade stores, frustrated beyond belief. He really should have read that huge file folder of information his girls had collected on Rorake Goyle when he'd had the chance. And he had been tempted, more than he could say, but it had struck the Gryffindor as fundamentally wrong to learn about his man from someone other than Rorake himself. And Rory was his man now, he'd decided. And he was always going to have the upper hand anyway. No reason to rub that in the other man's face before they were seriously together.

The only problem with that was that he couldn't date his man at the moment and had to steal every moment they had together. Kind of hard to learn about a guy when you hardly saw him and the Slytherin wasn't a talker to begin with.

It was particularly annoying when he was carrying a bag which contained the scrapbook he'd bought to put Rorake's sketches into, Louis thought as he glanced down at the bag in question. He wanted to give something other than kisses back too. Not that his kisses weren't fabulous, but they weren't tangible either. And he wanted Rory to have something tangible from him. He'd thought about buying some writing or drawing tools in the stationary store he'd bought the scrapbook in, but Louis had to admit that he didn't know anything about that sort of thing and hadn't thought to ask someone else earlier.

Plus it would be cheating, probably, to ask someone for help picking something out.

"Given how obsessed you are with face, you really shouldn't make faces like that, Freckles."

Turning around Louis stared into Rorake's eyes, shocked that the man had approached him in public. The store was full of their fellow students after all. But there the Slytherin was, leaning up against the wall, looking as calm and collected as always.

"People will only buy you teasing me for so long." Louis pointed out. "They're smart enough to know my girls wouldn't allow it."

Rorake's lips curved upward. "I am teasing you. Every chance I get."

"That you do." Louis acknowledged with a reluctantly amused smile. "But what would your best friend say if he saw you talking to me?"

Since Al was his best friend Rorake already knew he had the man's full support, but he also knew who Louis was talking about. "I don't care if Scorpius suspects that I'm interested in you. It's not like he'd turn me in now that I know what he was up to with your best friend. It's the other Slytherins I need to worry about. And I'm the only one in here."

"How could you possibly know that?" Louis challenged, motioning towards the full store.

"Because this store sells chocolate, stuffed animals, knickknacks and folk art."

Louis considered this, realizing right away what Rorake was saying. "You mean this place is too girlie for them to come into?"

Rorake's smirk grew as he read Louis's insult and annoyance. "The clientele is over eighty percent female from where I'm standing. And men that come into this store are usually here to force themselves to buy something girlie for their girls. Besides, even if they tried to call me on it they'd be too afraid of YOUR girls to do anything worse than what they already do."

"What they already do?" Louis's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Unable to stop himself, Rorake reached out to take and squeeze the other man's hand. "Nothing I can't handle, Freckles. I'm used to it."

It sounded to him like he needed to have a talk with his Slytherin girls, Louis thought as he squeezed Rory's hand in return. This was something he had no problems learning about from them. And no one but him was going to be causing his man problems. He was more than enough trouble for any man to handle and he intended to have Rorake's full attention at all times.

Pretty sure he had some idea what was going on in the other man's head, Rorake opted not to comment, deciding that he'd simply have to have a talk with the Slytherin president as well to make sure Louis didn't do anything stupid. So for now he'd change the subject and let it go. "So what are you looking for in here anyway?"

"Nothing much." Louis rocked back on his heels as he gave his man a questioning look. "See anything in here you might want to have?"

"I did as a matter of fact."

Louis did his best to hide his interest as he gave Rorake his most innocent, 'I'm not up to anything' look. "And what was that?"

"I'm looking at it." And figuring that was a perfect exit line, Rorake nodded his head good bye and headed off to find Scorpius at the Three Broomsticks like he'd promised, leaving Louis and all of Louis's fan girls within hearing distance sighing romantically.

)

The Three Broomsticks was unnaturally silent when Scorpius and Rorake stepped in, the hairs on both of their necks standing up instinctively. Walking into the main room the two Slytherins noticed right away that people weren't sitting down so much as they were standing around, gawking at something in the dining area. And following their various lines of vision Scorpius and Rorake did some gapping of their own. For there, seated together in the dining room like it was the most normal thing in the world, were Draco Malfoy and Albus Potter.

"What the hell…?" Scorpius blinked several times, trying to process what he was seeing. But his brain just couldn't begin to understand how his father and his lover could be eating and drinking with each other like they were friends.

"Now I've seen everything." Rorake murmured under his breath, gapping at the sight too.

"Why are they together?" Scorpius didn't take his eyes off the sight as he demanded answers from Rory.

All Rorake could do was shrug. "How would I know?"

Scorpius gave his childhood one dark look and than he marched off in the direction of the two, ignoring the looks he was getting from everyone as he wove through the tables until he got to the table where his father and his lover sat facing each other. There was a plate of cookies between them and they both appeared to be drinking mugs of hot chocolate. "Fancy meeting you two here." Scorpius drawled out coolly, looking back and forth between the two as his knuckles went white around the shopping bag he carried.

Al looked up, and would later think that it was Scorpius's bad influence that made him give into the urge to pull the Slytherin's tail. "Hi there, care to join us?" Making his eyes go wide Al deliberately hit the Slytherin with the ultimate 'I'm too cute and adorable for words' look that had been getting him out of trouble since he was a kid.

Taking a step back at the force of the man's look, Scorpius was temporarily struck dumb.

Draco raised an eyebrow at the look that had come into his son's eyes. The boy looked like he'd just been hit upside the head with a solid gold caldron. Was the idea of joining them that shocking? Then again, he hadn't reacted so well to the Potter boy's invitation either. Like father, like son for once.

Regaining his equilibrium through sheer will, Scorpius pulled out one of the empty seats and sat down, shooting the Gryffindor a dark look before turning to look at his father. "What are you doing here?"

"I was here on business." Draco toyed with his mug, not meeting his son's gaze. "Would you like something to eat or drink?" His voice sounded awkward even to his own ears, but he wasn't used to holding conversations with his son.

"No." And now Scorpius's gaze sharpened. "And what does HE have to do with your business?"

"None of your business." Al informed him cheekily, getting a perverse pleasure out of verbally screwing with the man. It was a poor substitute for sex, but he was willing to take what he could get at this point.

Draco felt his lips twitch, inwardly marveling that the offspring of his former enemy was the boy who was singlehandedly sparking something in him that had him energized in a way he hadn't felt in a long, long while. The boy was just so full of life that it seemed to spill off him to fill everyone around him.

And what interesting chemistry his son and Potter's had, Draco marveled as he looked at the two of them. It was nothing like the violent clashing of anger and wills he and Harry Potter had inspired in each other. The two were…Potter's boy was teasing his, Draco realized with a jolt of surprise. And Scorpius was letting the Gryffindor with no violent snapping, threats or dark promises. None of the usual reactions he would have expected from the boy man trying to be his own father's clone. And that thought, that little inconsistence warmed Draco in a way that surpassed all the near smiles and near laughs the Potter boy had inspired in him.

"Father." Scorpius's tone of voice broke through Draco's thoughts. "Why are you here with Potter?"

"I was craving some conversation." Devilment danced in Al's eyes. "Which your father was only too kind enough to provide."

Scorpius's eyes went dark and stormy. "Oh really."

Okay, some very strange undercurrents here, Draco thought, deciding it was best for him to step in metaphorically before history could potentially start repeating itself. There was enough Potter blood on Malfoy hands and vice versa. "We were talking business. Mr. Potter is planning to go into business with friends and they're looking for a place. I've agreed to look into properties for them."

"Why would you help him?" Scorpius's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand.

Draco's answer came with a deceptively cool shrug. "Because I'm a complete failure as a Slytherin I guess. You should know that by now."

"Actually you aren't, not really." Al just smiled congenially when they gave him startled looks. "Well according to the Sorting Hat the people who are in Slytherin are supposed to be cunning, intelligent, goal oriented and stubborn. The whole evil thing is purely a byproduct of too many badasses in one living space."

"I'll take that as a compliment. My first from a Potter." Draco looked over at his son. "And I guess I should be going before your grandfather wonders where I am. He's expecting my report. It's been interesting, Mr. Potter." And before Draco knew exactly what he was doing the older man held his hand out to the boy.

And knowing perfectly well what he was doing Al reached out and shook the man's hand. "I enjoyed talking with you, Mr. Malfoy. We should do it again sometime."

"I'll get back to you on available properties. I hope you continue to have a good term…both of you. Scorpius." Nodding once in his son's direction the older Slytherin got up from his seat and headed out, hoping that Scorpius would head off as well and leave the Potter boy alone too.

Scorpius watched his father leave and then turned all his attention to his lover, the look in his eyes growing darker with every second that passed between them as they stared at each other. "Where do you get off talking to my father like that? You have no business messing with my family."

Albus was not about to be intimidated. "You should have seen him with me. It was so sad I couldn't help but prolong the contact. But you can't see it, can you? I think it would be unbearable to love him and see it." And because he could see that Scorpius didn't know, and needed to know, Al spoke what the man needed to realize. "Your dad is seriously lonely and depressed over his lack of relationship with you. He's desperate for a connection with you and I was the best he could manage."

Scorpius jerked at the other man's words. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Taking advantage of the fact that Scorpius was sitting close by Al leaned forward, deliberately pitching his voice low since everyone continued to strain to eavesdrop around them. "If you don't believe me, chase after him. Tell him that you still think of him as your father and that you love him. Watch his face. I'll make it worth your while if you do."

Scorpius went very still. "Worth my while?"

"Go. If you're man enough."

"And what makes you think I'd mean it if I said it?"

And now Al's eyes went serious as he stared into Scorpius's, wanting to help the two badly enough to put himself as risk. "Because I know you. So what's it going to be?"

"Deal."

)

He had no intention of telling his father that he loved him of course. He was just going to say he had, Scorpius thought as he caught sight of his father in front of him. They'd talk and then he'd only be half lying. Besides, he had a thing or two to say to the old man anyway. Picking up his pace Scorpius waited until they were relatively alone before he called out to his father to stop.

Turning around, Draco kept his face impassive. "Lucius will give me hell when he finds out. I'll take it from him but not from you."

"Why take it from him but not from me?" Scorpius challenged.

Normally Draco would have just left it alone or given his son some half ass reply that wouldn't have begun to express his feelings on the subject. But looking at his son, seeing the man his boy had become while he wasn't looking, well, it scared the hell out of him. And fear, for once, gave him strength instead of weakness. "Because you're my son and I am the head of this family." Draco's shoulders straightened as he looked his son dead in the eye for the first time in a long time. "Your grandfather can think he is, but that's just another part of the delusion he lives in now. And really, I'm not the head either. Your mother is. It's your mother's money who bought our house, puts food on the table and sees that you have everything your spoiled little heart could desire. Lucius and your grandmother live with us because your mother allows it. I work for your other grandfather without pay because frankly I could work for him for centuries and not be able to come close to paying him back for everything he's done for us. Lucius is nothing without your mother and I and that's one more reason he takes such pleasure in turning you against us. And for your information, the only reason I let him think for a moment that he isn't a pathetic, delusional man is you. We let him live with us because if we kicked him out you'd never forgive us and we'd lose you completely."

"He's not-."

"Yes, he is. You think he loves you? His love is nothing in comparison to what your mother and I have for you. Even when you're giving us no reason to we love you. You stop being what he wants you to be and he'll drop you like a stone. He's not capable of loving anyone unconditionally anymore, Scorpius. The war stripped that from him too. The Dark Lord's fall ate at him and ate at him until he lost that, lost us. Your grandmother and I are just tools to him now. You're just his most valuable tool because he knows that you have the potential to be what even he could never be. And you have so much potential, son. Don't let him take that away from you. Please."

)

Three hours after he and Scorpius had parted ways Al sat in the Gryffindor Common Room with Louis. Both men looked up at the sound of a loud commotion, turning their heads to see a huge tiger made of silvery white fog leap out of the hallway and into the room, bounding straight for Al.

"A white tiger!" Louis's face lit up at the sight of his all time favorite animal.

Getting to his feet Al felt nothing as the tiger reared up, planting its insubstantial feet on his shoulders as the feline's head lowered so that it's massive mouth was up against his ear, speaking in Rorake's whispered voice. "You need to come to the Room of Requirement. Something happened when Scorpius talked to his dad. Something bad. He won't talk to me about it. I told him I'd get you if he wanted me to and he said okay. Please come now."

Message delivered, the tiger disappeared.

"Who made that?" Louis demanded to know.

"Tell you later."

Going on instinct Al ran out of the Common Room, cursing his own stupidity and arrogance because he knew, deep in his gut, that this was all somehow his fault. As soon as he was past the portrait Al transformed into his Animagi form, flying the rest of the way to cut on time.


	29. I Need You

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put all my poor victims in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that must be how it remains for obvious reasons. Nobody would really want me in control. Anyways, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

I Need You

Returning to his human form as soon as he reached his destination Al took one deep breath and then opened the door just enough for him to slip through, closing it quickly behind him. The room he walked into had no windows or any source of light save the small fire burning in the fireplace Scorpius stood in front of. There was nothing in the room but the fireplace and the man who continued to stare into the flames as though it would reveal all the answers he was looking for.

Heart pounding in his chest Al walked over to stand just behind the man, not sure whether he should speak or not. Should he touch him? Hug him? Apologize for interfering before doing either?

Scorpius knew the Gryffindor was there in some part of his brain, but everything else was too painful and overwhelming for him to deal with that fact. The things his father had said, the things his lover had said. And more, the way his father had looked and spoken to him, really spoken to him for the first time in what felt like forever, Scorpius thought as he wrapped his arms protectively around him. He thought about the way his grandfather talked to him whenever they were together about what a disappointment Draco had been, and how he expected Scorpius to redeem them all. What his grandfather expected him to do to make that redemption possible. How until now it hadn't seemed like too much to ask. It had seemed like the right thing to do. The only way to live his life. And yet, and yet the love and terrible truths he'd seen in his father's eyes, the knowledge that he could become the man his father was now. The possibility that he could become someone even worse. All these thoughts and more crowded in his mind, curled in his gut, and threatened to tear his heart to shreds.

Which was why he'd agreed to let Rory contact the man standing behind him, Scorpius thought as he let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding, finally able to focus completely on the man behind him. Because he wasn't strong enough to deal with the pain. He needed to take refuge where thoughts of his family couldn't touch him. And that place could only be reached with one person.

His lover. The man behind him.

Before Al could make up his mind how to handle the situation his lover suddenly spun around, the other man's arms coming out to band around Al's waist like steel. The Slytherin pressed his cheek up against the side of Al's face, the Gryffindor not getting a chance to even read Scorpius's expression, the man had moved so fast.

"Scorpius?"

"Don't say anything. Don't tell me anything. Just make it stop. Make it stop so that I can't think about anything but you. I need you. I need you to make everything go away for a while, like you did that night when you thanked me for helping your sister. Make love to me. With me. Please."

Al could think of a million reasons to say no and back away, but one thing kept him from saying or doing either. One thing that overshadowed all those millions of reasons he should protect his own heart and stay away from anything that would increase their emotional bond.

The fact that he loved Scorpius, who needed him.

"Okay." Al rubbed his hands up and down the Slytherin's back. "I've got you. I've got you now. Everything's going to be okay."

Loosening his grip Scorpius moved to look down at the other man, seeing what he needed to see more than anything in those warm, beautiful eyes. And then the Gryffindor's lips were on his and Scorpius sank into the kiss with a grateful groan of relief. Eyes closing at the rush of connection, Scorpius concentrated solely on the feel of the other man's lips on his, the slow, possessive strokes of the Gryffindor's hands on his back.

When he opened his eyes again Scorpius noticed right away that all was light and airy now. The room had morphed around them, becoming a cosy bedroom where sunlight shone through the windows and the walls were the color of desert sand. The furniture was simple and functional, the surfaces covered with the things one typical found in the bedroom of a somewhat messy young male. But he didn't see the details really, just the feel of the place. The fact that he was, for the moment, exactly where he wanted and needed to be.

Letting the Gryffindor push him onto the bed's comforter Scorpius lifted his arms and drew his lover close as soon as the other man straddled him. More kisses, more touches, loving caresses that had the Slytherin sighing against the man's lips, rubbing up against the man in slow, drawn out thrusts to pleasure them both.

Breaking apart just long enough to get their shirts off Al moved down to kiss along the man's neck and shoulders, skin to skin as much as possible. They both needed the contact, craved it as they sunk into a world of their own making.

All clothing was shed and bodies entwined, the two moving in tandem to pleasure each other in the heat and connection between them. And when their climaxes came, one after the other, they held on and rode it out together.

)

Later on Scorpius relaxed with a contented sigh, his head on the Gryffindor's shoulder and his hand over the man's heart, the rhythmic beats comforting. The position should have been awkward, but it wasn't. At least not for him. He had to be heavy, especially at a dead weight, but he didn't have the strength to move at the moment. No thinking, no worrying, only feeling. The best kind of feelings, Scorpius thought as he felt the Gryffindor begin to stroke his hair, enjoying the touch more than ever. Even the fact that he'd grown his hair long to be like his grandfather didn't ruin the moment, because Scorpius knew that the man stroking his hair took pleasure in it.

"Am I too heavy?" He finally asked, stroking the skin under his fingers.

"I'll move us to our sides when that happens." Turning his head Al noticed the time, his hand stalling for a moment before continuing. "We need to head down for dinner soon. If we don't show up my family will come looking for me, they're on red alert where I'm concerned. "

Turning his head to look at the clock Scorpius noted the time, tensing up. Damn. There went his good mood.

Feeling his lover tense up against him Al automatically spoke to soothe without thinking. "We can come back here after dinner. I'll go back to the tower afterwards and do this little trick my brother taught me to create a body double. They'll think I'm there and I can fly out the window and back here. Goyle will cover for you, we can stay here all night if you'd like."

"Really? You'd...do that?"

Mentally cursing a blue streak in his mind for his gross stupidity, Al forced himself to keep his voice low and even. "If you want."

"I'd like that." Curiosity had Scorpius crossing his arms in front of him, propping himself up so that he could look the other man in the eye. "Why? Why are you willing to do that? To come here in the first place? According to Rory your note meant that you wouldn't be with me like this again unless I gave you a damn good reason to."

"You gave me a damn good reason to."

Scorpius's brows furrowed. "I did?"

"You didn't ask me here for a booty call, Malfoy. You asked me here because you were in pain and needed me." Al reached up to stroke the man's cheek. "If you were just looking for sex I would have told you to go fuck yourself in some very creative ways. And don't think I'm going to make a habit of this again, that note is still in effect."

"I could find a way, you know that." The Slytherin's lips curved in amusement. "You have a hard time resisting me."

Al snorted in response. "Back at you."

"Do you think people who love each other will always love each other, or do you think they can just stop?" Scorpius winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth, cursing the fact that they'd left his lips. He hadn't meant to say them, had been fighting the need to think and speak of it since his father had put the ideas into his head hours before.

Al's eyebrows rose in surprise, especially since that hadn't been one of the possibilities he'd imagined as the cause of Scorpius's pain. He'd assumed that the two Malfoys had locked horns over something Scorpius had done or over the elder Malfoy influence on him. He hadn't been expecting another hypothetical discussion about love. Was his man worried that his father would stop loving him if he became like Lucius? Or was he worried that Lucius would 'stop' loving him if he didn't become the man the Death Eater wanted him to be? Or was this just a random question Scorpius was throwing out to distract him from the real problem?

And not knowing the answer to his own questions didn't change the fact that Scorpius was looking at him and waiting for an answer. Change that to dreading the answer, Al amended as he attempted to pick his way through Scorpius's question. "I think that over ninety five percent of the time love doesn't die. It can fade or change, but I don't think it can just stop, not when it's real. But yes, there are situations, two off the top of my head, that can end that kind of...connection."

He hadn't really wanted an answer, but now that the Gryffindor had answered him... "Death would be one, what's the other?"

"Actually, death wasn't one of my two. Death doesn't necessarily stop the feelings you have for someone. The two things I can think of, well the first would be that the person becomes incapable of loving someone. If they destroy their heart and soul to the extent where they can't feel things, or become so obsessed with something or someone that they have no room in their heart for anything else. The other possibility would be that the person you love does something so horrible to you that it destroys every good memory you have of that person. If the love is poisoned to the extent where you forget all the reasons you loved that person in the first place. It's those memories that keep the love alive, even if you're not still together."

Scorpius pondered the idea while wondering if everyone thought about love as much as Rory and Potter apparently did. And why they would want to think about it so much was beyond him. Love sucked. Royally. Even more than Hufflepuffs and Muggles. Why would anyone want to depress themselves by thinking about it? And here he was, thinking about it. How ironic.

And thinking how much it sucked to think about it, Scorpius had to wonder why the man whose body cushioned his loved so many people. And why the man had been willing to consider adding him to the list.

"Can I ask why you're asking?"Al moved so that they were lying side by side, the weight finally too much for him. That and they were getting too comfortable, which wasn't good for either of them at present.

"No."

"Then let's get cleaned up, head to dinner, and reconvene afterwards."

"Okay, yeah."

)

Rorake looked up and then over when Scorpius took a seat beside him, his eyes searching as he tried to read the other man's expression. But the Malfoy mask was back in place and there wasn't a single chip to be seen. So he looked across the room to where Al had taken a seat beside Louis. The Gryffindor looked tired, but composed too. They were both hiding their emotions well, and he had too much sense to ask Scorpius.

"Thanks."

Slowly blinking Rorake turned his head to meet the other man's gaze, seeing the thanks in Scorpius's eyes before the man looked away, obviously not wanting to risk showing too much of what he was feeling.

"You're welcome." It wasn't like he'd done much anyway. That was all Al, Rorake thought as he studied his childhood friend's profile. Al who had been able to give Scorpius whatever his friend had needed to put himself back together. To at least numb some of the pain that had been all but radiating out of Scorpius earlier. It wasn't just sex between the two, he realized, it couldn't be if Al could do this to Scorpius. For Scorpius to let Al in enough for him to have this kind of effect.

Huh. Who would have thought it?

Thinking about that all during dinner Rorake got up when Scorpius did, having about as much appetite as his roommate for once. Well that and he didn't think it wise for Scorpius to be left alone now that Al wasn't with him. Whatever had happened between Scorpius and his father had been bad. Seriously bad after all.

They were just out the door when Scorpius reached out and grab his arm for a moment. "I'm not going back to our room. Not tonight. I'll see you in the morning."

A number of responses occurred to Rorake, but he spoke only one of them. "Will he be with you?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then. Night."

Gratitude coming into his eyes Scorpius smiled faintly. "Thanks, Rory."

"You're welcome, Scor."

)

Returning to the Room of Requirement Scorpius paced like a caged animal as he waited for the Gryffindor to show up. His mind turned to earlier in the day and the way the room had looked then. And on cue the Room of Requirement began to shift, returning him to the room they had used earlier. And watching the room change Scorpius found himself with something else to do. Wandering the room he examined the objects it held, studying the pictures and the general cheerfulness of it all. It was a lot like its owner, Scorpius thought as he studied the room. Warm, natural, and just a little on the messy side.

Browsing the shelves on the Gryffindor's bookcase Scorpius got out a photo book and started browsing through the pictures, looking up from the book when he heard the sound of the door opening and closing. And there his man was, in the flesh.

As well as a couch that oddly appeared beside him, looking slightly ugly and very comfortable.

"Take a seat, Malfoy."

Raising an eyebrow Scorpius took a seat on the couch, watching the Gryffindor walk over to him with a duffel bag over one shoulder. "Well aren't you a girl. What's all in there?"

"A change of clothes for tomorrow, bathroom stuff and the stuff you really need." Flopping down in the seat beside Scorpius Al opened the bag and started pulling out the items he'd brought for the other man. He wished for a table in front of them and when it appeared he set down the bottles of Butterbeer and the bag of pretzels. "Start drinking and eating. You didn't touch your dinner and this is comfort food. Well, the best comfort foods I could get my hands on without access to a store."

Scorpius stared at the man in disbelief, his lips twitching as he thought about what the man had done. Bringing a change of clothes and bathroom stuff, trying to feed him, fussing over him, damn but his man was such a girl sometimes. And thinking that had him thinking about their whole screwed up relationship, and before he knew it he was laughing, laughing like an idiot.

Unable not to smile Al watched, thinking to himself that he'd never seen the man like this before but could get used to it. He looked so young and carefree, Al thought as he marvelled, simply leaning back against the couch to observe. He had no idea what was so funny, but he figured that it could only do the man good to laugh.

When his laughter started to die off Scorpius looked at the other man for a moment and then shifted over to lay his head on the Gryffindor's shoulder. "This is ridiculous. So ridiculous. Us here, like this. Me and my stupid plan."

Understanding instinctively what Scorpius meant Al tilted his head against the blonde's. "It was a pretty stupid plan."

"You don't even know what I'm talking about."

"Sure I do. You're talking about your stupid plan to corrupt me with mind blowingly hot sex. And yes, it was incredibly stupid of you to think I was so weak that that would ever work. Even more stupid than my plan to let you think you stood a chance of achieving your goal just so I could live out my fantasy of having that mind blowingly hot sex with you. Our plans screwed us both over royally."

Lifting his head Scorpius stared at the other man in shock. "Are you serious? You knew?"

"From day one. Don't look so surprised, I'm a Potter. Seeing through idiotic Malfoy plans is one of the things members of my family does best."

"You went to bed with me knowing that I was only doing it to manipulate you? Why?" He'd wondered if the Gryffindor had figured it out, but had always dismissed it because he'd figured that if the man were to figure it out the Gryffindor would try to castrate him for using him that way.

"Because I didn't want you to be a huge 'what if' in my life." Shrugging, Al's gaze was rueful as he met Scorpius's squarely. "You were what I wanted. It was my chance, my only chance to have you for a little while. I would have called it off if you hadn't...wanted to be with me that way. But you did so I took my chance. I took it just like you took a chance with me and we both...we both ended up with consequences we never expected, didn't we?"


	30. An Important Day

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put all my poor victims in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that must be how it remains for obvious reasons. Nobody would really want me in control. Anyways, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

An Important Day

Unexpected consequences? Yeah, that was one way to put it, Scorpius thought darkly. He had ended up becoming addicted to guy sex and to a certain extent Potter, and Potter had ended up...well if the Gryffindor was to be believed, the man was in serious danger of falling in love with him. Oh yeah, they'd screwed each other good in a number of ways. Picking up his Butterbeer Scorpius took a long pull from the bottle.

Helping himself to the pretzels Al was on his third one when the Slytherin spoke again.

"You still falling in love with me?"

Al swallowed hard. "I'd rather not talk about that."

Something in the Gryffindor's tone of voice tipped Scorpius off that he'd just hit a very sore spot. "Why wouldn't you rather talk about it? You're the girl in this relationship, you're supposed to want to talk about your feelings to an annoying degree."

"Oh really? You want to talk about how you feel about me, Malfoy?" Al shot back, waving a pretzel in the man's face.

"I don't know how I feel about you."

Surprised, having been sure that the Slytherin would either get defensive or play dumb, Al forgot about the pretzel he'd been about to eat and set it down on the arm of the chair. "So you're saying that your feelings towards me have changed since we got together? That you...care now?"

Care. Care struck Scorpius as a weak word to describe how he felt about the other man. But he would take that over the other words that occurred to him. He really, really wasn't too fond of them. "I wouldn't say I don't care."

Lips twitching Al called himself a pretty pathetic git for going gooey over that. It was sad, especially given how the Slytherin had admitted his 'caring' feelings. But still, the man had said it and for Scorpius that was a big deal.

"So since I talked about my feelings, mind answering mine about YOUR feelings?"

"Not talking about them with you, not happening. Sorry." He wouldn't lie, not about this, so he'd just refuse to talk about it at all. Scorpius wouldn't like it, but that was just too bad, Al decided as he lifted his own Butterbeer to his lips, concentrating on chugging down its contents.

A thought occurred to him that had Scorpius very glad he wasn't eating or drinking anything at the moment. Potter had already admitted to being in the process of falling in love with him, so why would he not want to talk about that unless...unless Potter was in love with him now. Could...could the Gryffindor...be in love with him? With him? Despite everything that had happened in the past, despite all their family differences, despite all the reasons he'd given the man to hate his guts over the years...could Albus Severus Potter love him?

Not liking the look of understanding that was entering the Slytherin's eyes, Al thought a change of subject would be best. "You know, enough of this girl stuff. Let's just get naked and have some fun, shall we?" Pushing the table aside Al got to his feet and turned to hold a hand out to Scorpius.

Taking the hand Scorpius allowed himself to be helped up, wrapping his free arm around the Gryffindor's waist so that he could pull the man up against his chest. "You wanna get naked with me...Albus?"

Al's heart was in his eyes as he smiled warmly at the Slytherin, wrapping his arms around the man's waist. He couldn't help it, it was the first time the man had ever called him by his first name. "When do I not want to get naked with you?"

"Keep it that way." Scorpius returned huskily as he lowered his head to capture Al's lips for the sweetest kiss he'd ever given his lover.

)

Waking up the next morning Scorpius blinked, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. It took his brain a couple moments to clue in to where he was, remembering all that had happened the day and night before. He was in the Room of Requirement, and he wasn't alone. Looking down at the arm lying across his chest, Scorpius turned his head to look at the man the arm belonged to.

His lover was lying on his stomach, fast asleep with his always messy hair even messier than normal. It was a good thing that the Gryffindor's hair wasn't as long as his own, Scorpius thought with a smile as he combed his fingers through his sleep tousled hair. Once it was looking somewhat presentable Scorpius checked the time, noting that they still had two hours before breakfast. But they should be getting back so that they could pretend to have left their dormitories like the others.

Reaching out with the intention of shaking the man awake, Scorpius paused, his fingers hovering over the sleeping man's shoulder. Instead of shaking, his fingers moved to stroke Albus's skin, taking simple pleasure in being able to touch his lover warm flesh. The man who loved him. He hadn't asked or pressed, but he knew. He just knew.

He didn't know if he could count on the love both his father and grandfather claimed to feel for him, but something told Scorpius that if the man sleeping beside him told him to his face that he loved him...he would believe the man for the rest of their lives.

Bracing one hand on the Gryffindor's back Scorpius leaned in and placed a single kiss to the man's shoulder blade, then forced himself to shake that shoulder awake.

What Scorpius got for his trouble was a complaining groan, the Gryffindor burying his face in his pillow as he refused to acknowledge his wake up call. Somewhere in his groggy mind Al knew that it was a Sunday, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd skipped breakfast in order to sleep the day away. He was sleep deprived at the moment and sleep was always more important than food, hands down in his books. Louis would give up shortly, Al thought as he ignored the new shaking, confidently starting to slide back into sleep.

Or he was until he found himself flipped over and onto his back, someone who was definitely not Louis moving on top of him to straddle.

Eyes flickering open Al looked around him hazily and than up at the man questioningly, his mind still too fogged up to remember where they were and why. "What are you doing in my bedroom? Do you know what my father would do to you if he walked in on this? He's the one who comes to wake me up you know. Mum's not strong enough to pull me onto the floor anymore."

Amused, Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Does your father make it a habit of dropping you on your head? Because that would explain a lot."

Al yawned even as he scolded. "On my butt, thank you very much. And for your-wait a second, we aren't at my house. Where are we?" Looking around Al's eyebrows knitted in puzzlement, as the room they were in sure looked like his.

"The Room of Requirement."

"Oh." Processing this Al turned his attention to something far more interesting. "You're naked."

"As are you." Scorpius returned in amusement, both over the man's not quite awake behaviour and the morning erection that was making itself known against his own rear.

"Morning sex is worth losing sleep over." Al announced as he propped himself up on his elbows, grinning sleepily at the other man. "Don't you agree?"

As it happened, Scorpius whole heartedly agreed.

)

Sitting outside on one of the school benches Rorake studied the barren morning landscape. Spring was ready to arrive; it was only a matter of days now before the first shoots started appearing in the ground. He considered getting out his sketchbook, but there was nothing around him that spoke to him artistically. His mind was on other things anyway.

Sensing his company as it approached Rorake didn't bother to look over as Louis took a seat beside him, the blonde's head moving to rest on his shoulder. "Where's your fan club bodyguards?" He asked, lifting his arm to wrap it around the man's waist, anchoring him against his side.

"They're hiding behind the trees, trying to pretend they're not there." Was Louis's amused reply, closing his eyes to half mast as he enjoyed the closeness. "I tried to tell them I'd be fine with you, but you apparently haven't earned their seal of approval yet."

"I see."

Louis nuzzled his face against the side of the man's arm for a moment before speaking, asking the question he'd come to ask. "Yesterday a tiger came and called Al out to come to Malfoy. It spoke, which isn't something it should have been able to do. Making patronuses speak is a skill known only to members of the Order and their kin. It had to have come from you or him...so which of you sent it?"

He and Al had discussed this possibility earlier in the day when they'd met briefly after breakfast so that his friend could update him on how Scorpius was doing. And he would not lie to the man beside him. "It was mine. Al taught me as a bribe."

The blonde blinked in surprise. "You called him Al."

"He's my friend. My best friend." Staring off into the school grounds Rorake explained while Louis quietly listened in shocked silence. "You'll remember Professor Bodger, we had him for DADA before he...quit. Towards the end of our fifth year he kept me after class one day to rip me a new one over my schoolwork. He had a number of things to say about my bloodlines, house, and my similarities to a troll in looks and intelligence. Al walked in on it and gave the man hell for talking to me like that. He was Harry Potter's son, Bodger had to back off." Rorake remembered it like it had happened yesterday. "Bodger had thrown my latest essay in my face and Al picked it up, looked it over before I snatched it back. Apparently there's a Muggle affliction called dyslexia that's similar to Delsym Syndrome. There's a Muggle boy from the village near Al's house who has the Muggle version and that's what Al thought I had until I told him what I thought the problem was. Anyway, he felt guilty, I think, for thinking what everyone else thinks of me, so he got after me to let him tutor me so that I'd get through my OWLS with decent grades. I wouldn't agree to let him help until he offered to teach me how to produce a patronus if I passed all my OWLS. He apparently heard through the grapevine that I...I had an incident with a Dementor when I was a child and I'd always wanted to learn that spell more than any other. The bribery worked and we got to be friends. Eventually he taught me how to make my patronus speak." And now Rorake's lips curved slightly. "I can turn into a tiger too; I finally got it down this past October, registered over Christmas Break." And now Rorake's voice became serious again. "He didn't tell you because I asked him not to. You and I weren't...even on speaking terms then. My father will kick me out of the family if he knew. I wanted to make sure that that wouldn't happen until I was done at Hogwarts."

"I see." Thinking about all the man had said Louis was still irked, very irked, but he could understand too. Though they both should have told him all this sooner, he shouldn't have had to ask about it. But now was not the time for temper tantrums.

So instead Louis opted to try and lighten the mood. "So you can become a white tiger huh? That's my favourite animal you know."

"So Al told me."

Louis sat up straight, waiting until Rorake looked at him before speaking. "I have an Animagi form too. I registered last summer. Do you know what it is?"

"A snow leopard. You have spots even when you're a cat, Freckles."

Louis's lips twitched in wry amusement, getting used to the nickname. "Come next winter you and I will have to play tag in the snow. It should be fun."

"I'll catch you."

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't." Louis leaned in, brushing his lips against the Slytherin's. "And maybe I'll let you."

)

Later, after separating from Rorake to head in for lunch, Louis and his two bodyguards for the day had almost reached the door leading into the castle when his Hufflepuff president came out of the door with a look in her eye that said she was a woman on a mission.

"Hello, Louis. Verity, Holly." Giving them a nod Magdalena worked up a smile for her prince, though the fierce look in her eyes remained. "I hope you're all well."

"We are." Louis gave her a questioning look. "Where are you off to, if you don't mind me asking, Lena? It's almost time for lunch. Is something wrong?"

"I'm off to hopefully make someone very, very sorry they messed with my little sister's friend Elizabeth." Magdalena answered darkly. "Apparently someone thought it would be funny to forge a note from her ex boyfriend, asking Elizabeth to meet him for a romantic rendezvous. She went to ask him about it, since he's seeing someone else now, and he told her he hadn't written it. Elizabeth's been crying her eyes out over it; she was devastated when the boy dumped her before. He was her first boyfriend." And now the Hufflepuff fingered the wand she'd stuck in her front jean pocket. "I'm going to where she was supposed to meet her ex now. If the writer shows, I'm going to make him sorrier than he's ever been for what he's done."

"That's outrageous, unforgiveable!" Fired up over the situation Louis's fists clenched, outraged on the girl's behalf. "Do I know her?"

"Elizabeth Cuthburt, a forth year Hufflepuff and Muggleborn."

Louis recognized the name as she was a member of his fan club. Had been since she'd come to Hogwarts in her first year. No one messed with one of his girls, the Gryffindor thought darkly, nobody. "I'm going with you in case there's more than one person involved. And even if there isn't, this idiot needs to be taught a lesson and I want to help you teach it." Louis turned to look at his bodyguards. "You two can go in for lunch, tell Al where I've gone. Lena and I will be fine."

The bodyguards shook their heads. "We go where you go." Verity reminded him.

"Well one of you has to go and tell Al and the others where I am." Louis pointed out. "Holly, you go since you're in my house anyway. Lena will fill in for you. That's an order." He added sternly, knowing that that was the only way she was going to leave his side. Natalia and Lamia had really put the fear into his bodyguards as to what would happen if anything else happened to him on their watch. They had taken the Fanged Frisbee incident even more seriously than he had.

"If you insist." Holly wasn't happy about it, but she couldn't disobey a direct order from her prince either. And the Hufflepuff president was a seventh year and no light weight, should something happen. "I'll inform your family where you are and see to it that the elves put aside food for you three to have later."

The Gryffindor watched them go, headed towards Hogsmeade since the meeting had been scheduled for a spot between the castle and the tiny village. And that bothered Holly the more she thought about it. It bothered her so much that she would have walked right into her Potions teacher if the older woman hadn't reached out to grab her by her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. Looking up the apology died in the Gryffindor's throat as she stared into the cold black eyes.

"You seem distracted, Miss Astrid. Something wrong?" Andromeda inquired dryly, letting the girl go.

Opening her mouth to apologize and deny that anything was wrong Holly found herself explaining the whole situation to the older woman. "And personally I think this was probably some Slytherin's doing, thinking it funny to pick on a Muggleborn like that." Holly finished, forgetting for the moment that she was talking to a Slytherin.

"I see. Well you should be getting to the Great Hall then, to pass along your message and get some lunch."

Realizing now the folly of her words Holly nodded rapidly and took off, stuttering out her apologizes as she headed off towards the Great hall, desperate to get away before the woman decided to punish her for her Slytherin crack.

Watching the girl go with a thoughtful look on her face Andromeda's gaze turned towards the way the Gryffindor had come. Yes, it did seem like a very Slytherin thing to do. A very juvenile, immature Slytherin, she silently amended. But the choice of location bothered her. It suggested that the writer had wanted the girl away from the protective shields of Hogwarts. Like perhaps he or she couldn't safely penetrate the school's defences, and might not be a student of Hogwarts but someone else. Someone a lot more dangerous than a mere student, even a Slytherin one. She didn't know this Cuthburt girl well enough to know her possible value, but it wouldn't be the first time a Muggleborn was randomly killed by an individual to scare and promote bloodlust in their peers.

It was probably nothing, but she wasn't about to risk it.

Picking up her skirts, Andromeda ran for the outside door.


	31. Prince of Hogwarts

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Prince of Hogwarts

Scorpius stared over at the Gryffindor table at Albus, something he was beginning to realize he did a lot. His eyes just naturally seemed to seek the other man out when he knew that his lover would be nearby. The space on the man's right was empty, no surprise. Louis Weasley was notoriously late for things thanks to his habit of staring at his own reflection for too long on the way to wherever he was going. Turning his attention back to his lover, always more interesting, Scorpius's gaze stayed there until Rorake elbowed him lightly in the side.

"You elbowed me?"

"Quit staring at him." Rorake said under his breath, for Scorpius's ears only. "Someone's going to see how you feel about him and than you'll both be in serious trouble."

"How I feel about him?" Interested, Scorpius gave the other man a questioning look.

"You can lie to him and even to yourself, you're good at that, but you can't lie to me."

Unfortunately, it was neither the time nor the place to ask the other man what he meant by that. So Scorpius just gave Rorake a look that said he'd talk to him later and to hold that thought.

Neither said anything else to the other, though both noted that when lunch was called to start Louis still hadn't arrived. That was unusual. Rorake in particular felt a sense of unease, especially since one of the blonde's bodyguards for the day was sitting at the Gryffindor table while his Slytherin one was missing as well.

And then a voice came from above, everyone craning their heads back to look up at what should have been the afternoon's sky. But what was playing out on the ceiling was neither beautiful nor awe inspiring. What played out was a horror scene, starring five young girls that couldn't have been much older than fifteen, surrounded by what looked to be nine men clad in the garb of Death Eaters. The one that appeared to be the leader of the group hissed at the girls to throw down their wands if they wanted their deaths to be quick and relatively painless.

The girls were refusing, their wands drawn, obviously hoping that there would be some chance to hold their attackers off until help arrived.

The man in charge just laughed at their refusal to cooperate. "Think someone will be coming to save you, do you? Sorry to burst your bubbles, Filthy Mudbloods, but no one's coming. Everyone's in the Great Hall and the exits have been sealed off. No one leaves that room until we're finished here with you. And if that's not reason enough for you to surrender now, we brought along something to change your minds."

Two new Death Eaters appeared in a swirl of black fog and between them was someone that had pretty much every single girl in the Great Hall snarling with fear and fury.

Louis Weasley, unconscious and limp, suspended between the two men.

"Drop your wands or your prince dies brutally in your place."

The girls all dropped their wands without another word of protest, all eyes on their beloved prince with identical looks of horror.

Laughing at their expressions the Death Eaters collected all the wands from the ground and then pointed their own wands at the girls while the newest arrivals delivered their next cruel wound. The two men that had been holding Louis up let go. But instead of falling to the ground the man's legs moved to brace and he stood straight and tall, a cruel grin on his normally beautiful face as he sneered at the girls.

Walking over the Louis look alike laughed in their faces, the malicious sneer on his face turning the beautiful features into something evil and ugly. "Sorry, girls, but I'm not your Prince Charming. Polyjuice potion is a marvelous thing, isn't it? Now you Mudblood bitches scream for me nice and loud."

And with that the man they'd thought was their prince drew his wand and hit one of the older girls with the Cruciatus Curse, laughing at the sounds of her screams of agony. Ending the spell the man sneered as the girl whimpered painfully on the ground. "Where's your prince now, you stupid fan girls?"

A white fog appeared between the two, Louis appearing out of nowhere with his wand drawn.

"I'm right here, BITCH."

Appearing at his side, Magdalena and Verity drew their wands as well as Louis let loose a curse on his copycat that had the man flying backwards, proving that he was more than prepared to horribly disfigure any and all bad guys.

The girls at his sides each took another one of the Death Eaters down thanks to the element of surprise, the other Death Eaters defending themselves against the spells then hurled at them.

Three down, nine to go.

)

It was a commonly held misconception at Hogwarts that Louis Weasley would be useless in a fight. But the exact opposite was true for the exact reason that everyone thought he would be useless. Everyone had always assumed that Louis's obsession with his physical appearance meant that the Gryffindor would never engage in fights, even just to practice, when that would mean risking any physical disfigurement. The opposite was true. Louis's obsession with keeping his face and body in mint condition had led him to request special permission for his family, especially his Uncle Harry and Andromeda, to be allowed to train him in combat during the summers since no one ever wanted to risk hurting him at school. His mother had used her charms to talk the people in charge of such things into it and as a result Louis was actually one of the most highly trained and skilled duelist at Hogwarts.

And he was kicking some serious ass as he defended himself and his girls at the same time as they all dueled for their lives.

Out of the corner of his eye Louis saw a Death Eater aim his wand in Lena's direction, the girl too engaged in dueling two others to see the third coming at her from her blind spot. Ignoring his own personal safety Louis hurled a Body Binding Curse in the Death Eater's direction.

Intending to take advantage of this one of the older Death Eater's moved his wand in Louis's direction, knowing that with the boy out of the equation the girls would soon follow. And there were more than enough Weasleys in the world already, the man thought as his lips formed the syllables of the Killing Curse.

"Avada Kedav-."

As he spoke the words another swirl of black fog appeared just behind him, Andromeda Tonks materializing as she reached out and forced the man's hand so that the wand was pointing at its owner as the man finished the curse, the green light striking the Death Eater's chest, killing him instantly.

Then she was black smoke again, flying through the air at a second mass of black smoke that was another Death Eater. The two swirling masses collided and a Death Eater fell dead to the ground, his eyes blank and lifeless as he lay on the muddy earth, his limbs grotesquely twisted.

Landing again at Louis's side with wand drawn Andromeda's eyes were cold and said that every Death Eater she looked upon would be dead if they didn't kill her first.

"Since there are only five left I suggest you ladies protect the wandless and start binding up the ones you brought down that are still breathing." The witch ordered, never taking her eyes off the Death Eaters who were seriously reconsidering the situation as they watched her with fear.

"That's an order." Louis added, knowing they wouldn't leave his side otherwise.

Reluctantly they did so, even as the two older girls shared a look that said they were pretty sure their new Potions teacher could take down all the Death Eaters by herself. The woman really was scarier and more deadly than a rabid Basilisk. She was now their warrior god.

The remaining five Death Eaters stood together, pride and ego keeping them in place when their instincts screamed at them to flee. They were trained fighters, but they weren't so stupid that they didn't know that Andromeda Black Tonks had been trained better. And apparently so had the girlie boy Weasley.

This was not good for them. Not good at all.

"Drop your wands and she won't kill you. Probably." Louis told the Death Eaters, blood dripping down his neck from a small gash there. They hadn't gotten his face yet, and Merlin help them if they did, the Gryffindor thought as held his wand at the ready. His left arm was a little numb too, but that was the worst of it.

"You think we're afraid of some Mudblood's whore?" The youngest Death Eater called out rashly, blinking when lightening quick Andromeda pulled something from her pocket and hurled it at him. Since it wasn't a curse from her wand the man didn't think to attempt to avoid the vial until it was too late. The glass exploding on contact with his face the air was soon echoing with his high pitched screams of agony as the acidic liquid ate at his flesh.

"That's Mrs. Tonks to you, Boy."

All the men who weren't unconscious, dead, or screaming looked at Andromeda then, and in that moment they all thought that Ted Tonks must have had goblin made balls of steel to have managed to survive decades of marriage to the woman.

Taking advantage of this Andromeda took out one of the remaining Death Eater's with a curse that had blood erupting from the man's back from at least fifty small wounds, Louis following up quickly with another Body Binding Curse.

With two remaining the dueling was about to get one on one when a yelp had the two duelers glance over quickly to see that one of the Death Eaters that had been taken down in the beginning had regained consciousness and had grabbed Verity while she was leaning down to properly secure him.

Leaving the two remaining Death Eater's to Andromeda Louis ran towards his bodyguard with Magdalena at his side while the Slytherin girl was hauled up against the wounded Death Eater's chest to be used as a shield. The Death Eater kept one arm around the girl's waist and the other held his wand pointed at her head.

"Not one step closer. We're all leaving and if you want her to live you'll all drop your wands now." The Death Eater hissed painfully, his body screaming in pain as he tried to focus.

"Don't worry about me. Kick their Death Eater asses." Verity called out to the two, refusing to show fear or signs of weakness. "My father is Conan Cowell, Death Eater. When he hears that you put a hand on me he'll dig up his Beater Stick from the old days and beat you to death with it!"

"Quiet! You're a disgrace to your father and your house. A filthy Gryffindor whore."

"Yeah?" Verity returned, a slow smile crossing her lips as she spotted what was hurling down towards them at breakneck speed. "Well a Gryffindor is about to gorge your eyes out."

Looking up instinctively the Death Eater had just enough time to register what he was seeing before the peregrine falcon cried out its fury, talons posed to strike as it flew directly into his face.

Screaming as the talons dug in the Death Eater let go of Verity, who immediately threw herself out of the way, rolling out of striking distance before getting to her feet to use Expelliarmus to send the Death Eater's wand flying well out of the screaming man's reach. "He's unarmed, Potter!"

Immediately transforming back into his human self Al somersaulted over the man's head and than twisted his wand arm back over his own head to point it at the Death Eater's. "Stupefy." And then, for good measure, Al fired off "Incarerous" to tie the man up securely too.

)

Flipping himself back up to his feet Al turned around in one smooth motion, wand at the ready as he surveyed the situation through eyes without pupils. Like the bird he'd been moments ago, Al's eyes were black, predatory orbs. His face and visible skin showed superficial scratches, and his clothing was torn in places too.

But the fight was over, all the Death Eaters dead or unconscious.

Giving Verity a hug with one arm Louis held his other out to his cousin, the two bumping fists as they grinned at each other like idiots. "You Potters do know how to make an entrance."

"Yours was pretty awesome too." Al replied before turning his head to survey the scene once more, just in case. As he blinked naturally his eyes went back to their normal condition.

"Thanks for your help, Potter." Verity said stiffly, holding out her hand to shake.

Switching his wand to his other hand Al took her hand and shook it. "You'd have done the same for me."

Coming over to reassure herself that her boys were really okay, Andromeda hid her pleasure and relief well as they both hurried over to meet her, wrapping an arm around each other's waist while they wrapped their free hands around her waist, pulling her into a three way hug.

"That's enough of that." Andromeda told them after a few comforting moments. "We need to secure the Death Eaters and get them back to the castle."

Agreeing, the boys nodded and let her go, turning their heads in Magdalena's direction since the Hufflepuff president was busy lecturing the girls for mistaking the Death Eater for their prince. Apparently they should have known it wasn't him because the man would never have worn shoes made from seal.

Walking over to her Louis turned her around to face him, his face kind and understanding. "It's okay now, Lena. We're all okay. I'm sorry I ordered you not to protect me. I know it was hard for you to leave my side. Would you like a hug too?"

Tears welling up in her eyes Magdalena nodded, throwing herself into her prince's arms, hugging him tightly.

Beside them Verity's eyes started to water up too and seeing this Louis shifted Magdalena off to one arm and offered the other to his bodyguard.

Walking into his comforting embrace Verity buried her face against the side of his neck as she sobbed. "What Natalia would have done to me if you'd died on my watch!"

And just like that all the girls were crowding around Louis, crying away as they sought comfort from their prince, the man working his way through the crowd as he stroked and patted all his girls in turn, fixing their minor blow back injuries from stray attacks. He gave the girl who'd been Crucio'd lots of extra pats.

Standing off to the side as they used Mobiliaibus to move the various bodies into a neat line, Andromeda and Al watched Louis work his own magic with small smiles of amusement.

"How were you injured?" Andromeda asked as she moved to the next Death Eater. "And how did you know to come?"

"This whole thing showed up on the Great Hall ceiling, they didn't want us to miss the show. As soon as I saw what was going on I transformed and used the owl tunnels to get out here. The owls didn't like another bird of prey in their tunnels though and they pecked, bit and scratched me while I was trying to figure out how to get out. Those tunnels are like a maze."

"I see. We'll want to get those wounds cleaned before we close them then."

"Oh. Ewww." Al said as he got what she meant.

Deciding to distract himself from thinking about what might even now be flowing into his bloodstream Al walked over to the men, removing their Death Eater masks so that he could get a look at who they'd been messing with. He recognized a couple of the older ones, but the majority of them were close to Teddy's age. Then he came to the eighth one and it was the scars he noticed on the man's arm as he bent down to collect the man's wand that had him pausing. Tying the man up first Al then rolled the man's sleeves up, taking in the message written in scar tissue that decorated both forearms.

"Tie me to a bed and fuck me till morning." Al muttered to himself as he realized who he was looking at.

Having come over to help his cousin with the rest of the girls Louis raised both eyebrows at his cousin's comment, absently rubbing his increasingly numb left arm. "Okay. No. We're cousins, remember?"

"Ha ha, very funny. Look at this guy's arms, Louis. You're never going-actually scratch that, you'll totally believe it."

Brows knitting together in concentration Louis studied the Death Eater's arms, recognition making his jaw drop just a little. "Tie me to a bed and fuck me till morning with costumes! That's that guy!" Pointing at the man Louis couldn't believe what he was seeing. "It is, isn't it? It's him!"

Having come over as well Andromeda looked in Magdalena's direction. "Congratulations, Miss Bohner. You took down Victoire's former seventh year stalker. I see he finally regained the use of his hands. Pity. He would have been a prime recruitment choice for something like this. You'd have thought someone carving, 'I wear women's underwear' into his arms would have made him see the light. Guess not."

Grinning at his president Louis gave her a thumbs up. "That's my girl." The bastard had never actually hurt Victoire, that he was still alive was proof of that, but he'd certainly made her and Teddy mad with his lewd suggestions and behavior towards her.

Cheeks going pink with pleasure at his praise Magdalena beamed with pride.

And since everyone was looking at his president at that moment Louis took the opportunity to point his wand at the unconscious man crotch, issuing a shrinking spell under his breath.

Surveying the rest of the Death Eater's Andromeda shook her head, not recognizing any of the others from her day except as possible relations to people she'd known in the past. "These are all pawns. None of them are probably ranked members of whoever is in charge of this little revival group. They didn't care how this ended so long as fear was generated. Typical Christmas trees." She added with a sneer of loathing.

"Christmas trees?" Verity repeated, confusion in her voice. "Why do you call them Christmas trees?"

"Because, Miss. Cowell, the majority of male Death Eaters, with few exceptions, have always been just like Christmas trees." Andromeda answered with a small, very Black smile. "Like Christmas trees, their balls are for decoration only."


	32. Love And Honor

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Merry Christmas to You ALL!

Love And Honor

Once the good guys had been given on site first aid and the bad guys successfully secured, everyone was assigned a bad guy to escort to the castle. The younger ones had to be taught the spell needed to move their assigned Death Eater, but no one got mad at them when their assigned unconscious body dropped every once in a while with a painful thud. In fact, all the would be victims seemed to have that problem.

Thanks to Andromeda's Christmas tree comment and Louis's soothing the girls were doing okay considering what had almost happened, the older students clustering around the younger in a protective sort of barrier. By silent understanding Andromeda was transporting the two dead Death Eaters and Al took the two disfigured beyond recognition ones.

Louis took his sister's former stalker and dropped the guy head first into every large rock they came across.

They were just approaching the castle grounds when they caught sight of a tidal wave of people coming towards them. No one was properly dressed for the outdoors except for Hagrid, who was visible over the heads of the smaller students and looking more than a little anxious. Louis and Al both waved at the giant to reassure him that they were all okay, their friend smiling widely back while dabbing at his eyes.

The motley group was soon swarmed by people, the Death Eaters trampled under foot both on purpose and accidentally. The other teachers soon took charge of the men who'd intended to harm their students, Pomfrey fussing over Al's scrapes and Louis's left arm, which was losing more and more feeling by the minute.

Both men let her fuss while looking around for signs of their men, not easy to do thanks to their relatives and friends crowding around them. Finally spotting them Louis covertly nudged his cousin in the side with his good arm, motioning with his head in the right direction.

Scorpius and Rorake stood off to the side, the cool spring air chilling their skin though neither felt it. They knew better than to try and make their way through the crowd, knowing a large part of the student body would assume the worst and attack. They were Slytherins and sons of Death Eaters. They would not be getting near either Gryffindor anytime soon. So they watched over their men from above, both keeping their hands over their pockets where their wands rested.

Had the teachers not been in their way, they would have shown the unconscious Death Eaters no mercy for endangering their men.

Without looking at the man Rorake spoke, his voice soft and deadly serious. "This isn't the attack the centaur spoke of. There's more to come. What will you do?"

Scorpius turned his head to give his childhood friend a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this was them just testing the waters and would be recruits. They know to step up their game now. This will be a humiliating blow to them; their next attack will be committed by those they trust can carry out the task at hand without failure. You would fall into that category. Your grandfather would see to it."

"You think I would hurt him?"

"I think you'll be expected to."

Scorpius's fingers clenched at his sides, hating the fact that the man's words rang true. "I won't hurt him."

"Just keep in mind that there are countless way to hurt someone." Watching the huge group making there way back to the castle Rorake moved to join them, Scorpius falling into steps beside him. Neither spoke, but both though dark thoughts.

)

When everyone was back at the castle the teachers insisted that everyone return to the Great Hall for their lunch. Andromeda, The Headmaster and Neville were put in charge of guarding the Death Eaters in the dungeon until the Aurors could come to collect them. Louis, Al and the girls were taken to the Medical Wing to be looked over and kept separate from the rest of the student body until they could be questioning properly by the authorities. Their friends and relatives loudly protested this, but a sharp word from Andromeda had them reluctantly returning to the Great Hall with the others.

Heading in the direction of the Medical Wing Al's eyes widen ever so slightly, the only sign he gave as he felt breath at his ear and the feel of Scorpius's body close to his. Since no one was reacting Al assumed the Slytherin was invisible and walking behind him. Stopping for a moment under the guise of needing to remove something from his shoe Al moved off to the side, motioning for the others to go on and he'd catch up.

Bracing one hand against the wall Al removed his shoe and pretended to shake something out of it, eyes closing for a moment when he felt arms encircle his waist from behind and Scorpius's invisible cheek nuzzle against his own.

"I'm fine." Al murmured under his breath. "Go join the others before you're missed."

"I didn't know this was going to happen." Scorpius said in a voice just above a whisper.

"I know you didn't."

And with that Al slid his shoe back on and headed off to catch up with the others, having to work hard not to look back in the hopes that Scorpius would be visible, allowing him to get a look at the other man's face. But that would have to wait until later, when things had settled down and every eye wasn't on them.

The would be victims were all looked over by Pomfrey before they were given parchment and ink in order to write out their statements as to what had happened. Since the whole fight had been broadcasted for all to see the group couldn't protect their Potions professor the way they wanted, but did their best to downplay the fact that she'd gone Slytherin on the Death Eaters' asses. She had protected their prince and them. They owed her big.

Natalia had disappeared from the Medical Wing after confirming that her prince really would be all right, and when she came back Madam Pomfrey knew better than to think she could kick the girl out. The Slytherin kept her hands behind her back as she approached her prince, and when she was close enough to touch him she turned to give him her back, revealing the white kitten she had cupped in her hands.

Reaching out with his right hand Louis took the kitten, a puzzled look on his face as he cuddled the purring feline against his chest, his left arm currently in a sling. "You brought me a kitten to make me feel better?" He did love cute things, but this wasn't exactly the time or the place.

Natalia turned her head to meet his questioning gaze, deliberately keeping her expression blank as she explained her present. "Its name is Rory. I'll have to take him back shortly though, so he doesn't get confused about things."

Mouth gaping open when he realized what she'd done Louis stared down at the kitten who stared right back at him. His president had transfigured his boyfriend into a kitten so that she could smuggle him into the Medical Wing without anyone realizing their relationship. "You're bloody brilliant, Nat. Bloody brilliant." Bringing the cat up to his cheek Louis nuzzled his face against the soft fur while the kitten continued to purr away.

Pleased, Natalia nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I know."

Coming over now that Madam Pomfrey had finished cleaning him up Al moved in to take a seat beside his cousin, reaching out to pet the kitten. "Now where did he come from?"

"Natalia brought him." Louis answered with a gleam in his blue eyes. "Its name is Rory. Isn't he adorable?"

"Is it now?" Al grinned widely as he patted the kitten affectionately on the head. "Very cute indeed."

After five minutes Natalia insisted on taking the kitten back, heading out as the Aurors were coming in. She nodded at them as she passed, heading straight for a hidden castle alcove where she could transfigure the man back to normal.

)

The school was overrun with multiple generations of Potters, Weasleys and Lupins as they appeared in groups to check over their loved ones for themselves. It was one of the main topics of conversation that the first thing Victoire Weasley Lupin had said upon her arrival was that she'd known she should have castrated her stalker when she'd had the chance.

No one doubted she was capable, even with her one year old son perched on her hip.

Scorpius had seen Andromeda with her acknowledged family members before his second cousin had taken his family home minus his grandmother. She was different around her grandson and great grandson. There was a softness to her that had immediately evaporated once they were out of her sight. Like she saved all her warmth and kindness for them, he thoughtfully mused to himself.

"You didn't know today's events were in the works?"

Scorpius turned around to face the woman he'd been thinking about. "You didn't get thrown into jail for killing two people?"

"Self defense." She wished them luck trying to prove otherwise. It was almost a shame that she knew her grandson and Harry would never allow her to be charged. Going before the courts and making a mockery out of it would have been fun, Andromeda thought as she smiled inside.

"Strange that you don't seem sorry, especially after you gave me that mini lecture on how killing people marks a person."

"It gets easier after a while. And I don't consider killing Death Eaters in the same category as killing innocents." Andromeda's eyes somehow seemed to darken. "I liken the first to being more like pruning a dead branch so the rest of the plant lives."

He couldn't argue with that at the moment. He was all for the 'pruning' of every Death Eater out there that wanted to harm a hair on his man's head. And then it occurred to him that his grandfather would be one of those Death Eaters, the thought making the young Slytherin's stomach turn.

"Did you find a way to see him?" When her great nephew gave her a questioning look Andromeda took that to mean that the boy was unaware of the fact that she knew he was involved with Albus. "I know, Scorpius. It will be a cold day in Hell when you can pull the wool over my eyes for long. What do you intend to do now? You know you can't have him and your grandfather's approval too. The War and Dark Lord broke your father and Lucius. If you're as smart as you think you are, you should know and think about that."

His first instinct was to lash out at her words but Scorpius kept those words inside as he asked a more interesting and thought provoking question. "You lost everything in order to marry a Muggleborn who couldn't provide you with more than a little cottage in the middle of nowhere. You lost the bulk of your inheritance, your family, your friends, and your social standing for a man you only had in your life for less than three decades. Do you regret it?"

"Never." Moving closer Andromeda's eyes drilled into the younger man's. "And for your information, I gave up all of those things for me, not for Ted. He was part of it, but I wanted a life that was in opposition to what everyone else in my life wanted for me. I wanted to live a life that I could be proud of. That I wanted. I wasn't about to waste my life by living it accordance to someone else's standards. Being a Black, I always want my own way. And I don't let anyone or anything get in the way of that. It's my family who lost when I left. And their eventual fates should demonstrate clearly the price to be paid for letting your fate be controlled by others."

Scorpius could all but hear the clinks in his head as several pieces of his jumbled up life puzzle fell into place. He too was someone who preferred to get his way in all things. He hated and refused to be led whenever possible. And he was letting too many people dictate his actions, Scorpius realized, by thinking too hard about what everyone else wanted him to do and be. When what he should have been doing was asking himself what he wanted to do and be. He needed to stop thinking about anyone else and concentrate on getting what he wanted.

Watching her great nephew a small hint of a smile crossed the woman's lips. He was thinking, which was what he needed to be doing. She'd leave him to it, and hope for the best. "You seem deep in thought so I'll see you in class later."

Turning to go Andromeda paused when Scorpius spoke her name. Looking over her shoulder Andromeda gave him a questioning look.

"I would make a lousy Death Eater, wouldn't I?"

Andromeda inclined her head in agreement. "I think my cousin and Severus Snape proved that real men don't do well within that particular organization."

"Mine are certainly not for decoration anyway." Scorpius added with a very Black grin, referring to her earlier comment about Death Eaters and Christmas trees.

Andromeda's slow, amused grin was identical to his. "I doubt Albus would have much use for you if they were."

Scorpius's cheeks flushed with color while the walls rang with her rarely heard laughter.

)

When the clock struck eleven that night Louis got out of bed and quietly removed his pajamas to reveal the jumper and trousers he'd been wearing underneath. Not an easy thing to do with a currently useless left arm. Slipping out or the room after slipping on his shoes, Louis headed down the stairs and into the common room, waving at Lamia, who was waiting for him.

Together they headed for the main door, stepping out on their way to their rendezvous. Ignoring the Fat Lady's comments about their actions the two made their way through the hallways, Louis making use of the Marauders' Map Al had loaned him. According to it they were running a little behind, but Louis was always late so he figured no one would be surprised.

Natalia was guarding the entrance to the deserted classroom they'd commandeered. Waving at her Louis's face lit up when she opened the classroom door, motioning him to head on in. They'd told him he only had twenty minutes so the blonde didn't waste time talking but hurried through the doorway, running straight into Rory's arms while Natalia closed the door behind him.

Wrapping his good arm around Rorake's waist Louis nuzzled his face against the Slytherin's neck. "Hey."

Holding the Gryffindor tightly against him Rorake let his eyes close as he simply absorbed the fact that he was holding the blonde again, after having come so close to losing him. "Hey back." He finally got out, his voice husky with emotion.

"I'm okay, you know. Madam Pomfrey says my arm should be back to normal within the next forty eight hours." Louis told the Slytherin, wishing his other hand was available for use. He wanted to touch the other man more. "And you can't even see the neck wound now." He'd checked repeatedly.

"Yeah?" Pulling away a little Rorake lowered his head to study the man's neck, touching his lips along the white column from its top to bottom.

Tilting his head to the side Louis made a sound of pleasure. "Better keep your arms tight around me or I'll melt to the floor." He purred, gasping at the feel of the other man's tongue against his skin. "Rory." Sighing on the man's name Louis's lips curved into a smile.

Kissing up the man's neck Rorake tilted his head to kiss along the man's jaw and than up to the man's cheeks and forehead, over Louis's eyes and the golden freckles that dotted the men's pert nose. By the time he got to the Gryffindor's lips it was pretty obvious to the both of them that Louis was putty in the Slytherin's hands.

"Louis?" Rory murmured softly, nuzzling his cheek against the man's as he spoke into the other man's ear.

"Hmmm?"

"Tie me to the bed and fuck me till morning with costumes?"

Eyes going as big as saucers, Louis's face went as red as his father's hair as he shifted back to meet the Slytherin's amused gaze.

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO HEAR THAT! I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!"

Laughing at the man's expression Rorake leaned in to rest his forehead against the horrified Gryffindor's as their eyes met. "Good. Because if we do get naked, Freckles, I'm much more interested in making love to you."

"The way things are going, Rory, I think it's safe for you to make that a when." And fisting his good hand in Rorake's shirt Louis drew the man in for another kiss that had their blood pressure skyrocketing.

Louis was determined to use what time they had left to the fullest after all.


	33. Make You Sweat

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all the characters find themselves in. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

Happy New Year to All. Some sexy action before the showdowns start.

Make You Sweat

Getting out of bed Rorake stretched his arms out to the sky, working out the kinks as he headed over to his dresser at a sleepy shuffle. Rifling through his clothes the Slytherin retrieved his work out attire, closing the dresser drawer as quietly as possible. Not quietly enough as it turned out, Rorake thought as he turned around to meet his roommate's questioning gaze. "I can't get back to sleep so I'm just going to the Room of Requirement to work out." Rorake explained, figuring that the man would want some sort of explanation.

There was a thoughtful pause from the other side of the room and then Scorpius spoke. "Mind if I join you?"

"If you want." Rorake answered cautiously, seeing his plans horribly disrupted, then go up in smoke.

"Just give me a minute to change as well."

The two changed into appropriate clothing in silence, Scorpius following his roommate out of their room once they were both dressed for serious physical activity. All was silent in their dorm hallway as they headed out, no one in their common room to ask what they were up to at just shy of six in the morning. Walking into the tunnel that would lead them to the main building Rorake looked over at Scorpius questioningly. "Why do you want to work out with me anyway?"

"Talking to my great aunt yesterday made me realize something."

"What's that?"

Scorpius's lips curved into a slight smile. "That I need to be more selfish."

Rorake couldn't see how that could possible be what the woman had intended to do. And how much more selfish could Scorpius become and still be bearable? "How selfish are we talking about?" He asked warily.

"As in I'm not doing anything anyone tells me to do unless I want to. Not my grandfather, my parents, Potter, or even you. If I don't want to do it or think it then I won't. I'm going to concentrate on what I want, and what I want at the moment is to get into better physical shape so that a certain Gryffindor can't lord it over my head that he'd stronger then I am."

"I see." Time would tell how this new philosophy of Scorpius's worked out. All he could really do at this point was show the other Slytherin how to use the gym equipment available and hope the man didn't tear, break or kill himself trying to do too much, too fast. Rorake was not looking forward to the coming arguments about what Scorpius could and couldn't handle.

"Did you tell Professor Tonks that she inspired you to be more selfish?" Rorake asked, imagining that the woman would be less then thrilled. Al would definitely not be thrilled either.

"Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if she did it deliberately." Was Scorpius thoughtful reply. "I got the distinct impression that she says things just so that I'll have to stew about them for hours at a time. She makes it seem like she's just trying to provoke or irritate me, but I think there's a method to her bitchiness."

"Well she is a Slytherin."

"That she is." Scorpius agreed with a nod. "That she is."

No one was out and about in the castle and when the two Slytherins arrived at the Room of Requirement both stepped through the room's doors without an inkling that the room might already be occupied. But, as it turned out, it was.

)

Keeping a slow, steady rhythm going Al kept up his reps, knowing who it was since he'd instructed the doors to open up for Rory if his friend decided to drop by. They were both the type to work out their aggression and after yesterday they both had plenty of that lurking in their system. "Hey, Rory. Couldn't sleep either?" Al called out, his ears belated picking up the sound of two sets of feet.

"He calls you Rory?" Scorpius's cool voice asked, confirming Al's dread.

"We work out together sometimes. We're the only ones in the school who work out to a serious degree." Was Rorake's casual response, like it was no big deal. His brain was too tired at the moment to try and out think his roommate.

Walking over to stand beside Al Rorake gave his friend a rueful look, taking in the man's equally tired expression. Al had obviously been working out for a while now, the Gryffindor had worked up quite a sweat. "We'll just take one side of the gym and stay out of each other's way."

Having also come over to stand beside Rorake Scorpius remained silent, but not because he was still inwardly fuming about the fact that his lover would call Rorake by a pet name. No, what kept him utterly silent and still was the sight of Al Potter, shirtless, and lifting weights. Weights which were flexing the man's sweaty upper body in ways that had the Slytherin's tongue perilously close to hanging out while he eye fucked his man.

Seeing the look in Scorpius's eyes Al had to work hard not to grin or preen, glad that he'd decided to pump more than his usual. It looked way more impressive this way.

Also seeing clearly the messages the two were passing back and forth with their eyes Rorake rolled his own and thought not for the first time that bringing Scorpius with him was going to end badly. For him.

Taking Scorpius by the arm before Al hurt himself showing off Rorake led his reluctant roommate over to a matted area and insisted that they warm up before trying out any of the equipment. Luck was with Rorake for once, Scorpius did have enough sense to know that trying anything without working rarely used muscles would be a bad thing. Especially with his lover in the room watching.

So while Al finished his reps the other two stretching out, Rorake doing most of the serious stretching while Scorpius did a half ass job and ogled Al.

And Scorpius's half hearted interest continued as Rorake explained what the various machines were and how they were to be used properly. Half way through Rorake decided that there wasn't any point in teaching Scorpius about any of the equipment and simply requested that the room give him a boxing bag and two set of gloves. Putting the gloves on his hands Rorake used magic to insure the bag remained steady and then showed the man how to punch the heck out of the bag properly. That at least got the blonde's interest and attention. Plus Scorpius wouldn't last long and then he could do some seriously working out of his own, Rorake decided as Scorpius got some gloves of his own. Leaving Scorpius to his punching Rorake made sure the man had the right idea before he headed over to the weights, thanking Al for upping the weights for him as he slid into place.

"No problem." Al assured Rorake over his shoulder as he walked over to Scorpius, moving to stand behind the Slytherin as he cuddled Scorpius back against him. "You're trying too hard. Nice and easy there, Slugger." Sliding his hands down Scorpius's arms Albus moved the man's left hand up towards his chin. "Always keep a fist there to defend your face if a punch gets past your guard. And your other at the ready like this, then straight jab with no thumb tucked in. Never tuck the thumbs in, that's how they end up broken. And in a real fight pay attention to the whole body, just like in dueling. That's how you anticipate and don't end up unconscious."

"Good to know." Scorpius purred, taking a couple test jabs at the bag, feeling the difference. Much more fluid he thought with pleasure.

"Excellent." And sure that Rory couldn't see him Al got up on his tip toes and pushed Scorpius's braid over to hang over one shoulder. And setting his hands on Scorpius's shoulders for balance Al slid his tongue up the length of the Slytherin's neck. "Keep UP the good work." He purred back in the blonde's ear before heading for the rowing machine.

Needless to say Al wasn't on the rowing machine long before Scorpius abandoned the punch bag in favor of coming over to watch Al row.

And the sexual heat the two were generating was enough to have Rorake struggling to remember he was lifting enough weight that if it fell on his head his skull would be crushed in places. How did he get himself into these kinds of situations?

Finally giving up on what he was doing after ten very awkward for him moments, Rorake set the weight down on the rack and slid out from under it with a defeated sigh. "You know, I think I'll just do a few laps around the school. You two fine working out together?"

"I've got no problem working up a sweat with him."

Wincing at the visuals that popped into his head Rorake gave Scorpius a look that said he really didn't appreciate his roommate putting those images in his head, especially since he was fairly sure it had been deliberate on Scorpius part to get him moving. "Later, Al." He called over to the Gryffindor as he headed out.

Giving Rorake a sympathetic look Al stopped what he was doing to wave good bye. "See you, Rory."

Al waited until his friend was out of the Room of Requirement before waving a finger in Scorpius's direction, getting off the rowing machine to join his man on the weight bench. "That was mean of you."

"Comes with the genes, Potter." Scorpius explained with a small grin, sliding a hand up the man's sweaty back, enjoying the feel of the honed muscles quivering under his touch. "You're going to need a shower soon."

"Not done working out yet." Getting to his feet Al smiled rakishly down at the Slytherin before walking over towards the mat, intending to do some final stretches before letting Scorpius talk him into a final, pleasurable finish.

Scorpius sprang, Al having no time to react or escape, so that he suddenly found himself lying on his back with the Slytherin lying on top of him, pinning him against the mat. Then the blonde was kissing the hell out of the surprised Gryffindor, the man's fingers racing over his lover's body in possessive, knowing strokes that had Al body relaxing, even as his own hands began to slide under Scorpius's clothing in search of warm flesh.

Breaking off the kiss Al nuzzled his face against the Slytherin's neck where the pulse had begun to beat frantically, and then down to sample the now tense muscles that flexed against the Gryffindor's tongue as he sampled the skin there.

Sitting up when he couldn't stand the lack of skin contact anymore Scorpius quickly discarded his shirt, throwing it off to the side in his eagerness to return to his lover's arms. He wanted skin against skin and the sight of the man under him had desire and need burning through him like wildfire, consuming him completely so that his only thoughts were of his man.

Bracing himself up on his elbows Al stuck out his chest, blantly offering his body up for Scorpius's pleasure.

Taking what was offered the room was soon filled with the sounds of pleasure being offered and given, hands moving to enjoy smoothed and ridged skin, the flexing of taxed muscles as they struggled to get air into gasping lungs.

Shedding the rest of their clothes the two rolled around on the mat, desperately hungry for the other but still playful somehow, wanting to both drag out their lovemaking and bring it to its ultimate, pleasurable end.

And when Al thrusted deep inside his lover Scorpius arched in to take him greedily, their bodies sheened with sweat born of their desire and need for each other.

Looking into his lover's deep green eyes, crying out Al's name with abandon, Scorpius knew that his seemingly foolish plan to corrupt his former adversary had in fact been the smartest thing he'd ever done.

This was not something he would ever change or give up.

This was meant to be.

)

Rorake walked down the hallway at a fast clip, mentally cursing his two friends and their stupid sexual chemistry. Now not only had he not gotten his work out but he was suffering from the excess sex vibes the two horny jerks had been giving off without any considerations for innocent bystanders. So deep in dark thoughts was the Slytherin that he didn't notice Louis loping towards him until the man was halfway down the hall.

"Hey, you, what are you doing out of bed so early?" Louis asked with a delighted grin as he waved hello, picking up speed. "I woke up to find Al out of bed and figured he was working out in the Room of Requirement. I was going to go and watch, make sure he didn't overdo it too badly. Were you just-oh."

Suddenly finding himself yanked up against Rorake Louis had time for one gasp before he found himself being ravished, the Slytherin pushing him up against the wall so that he had no where to go while Rorake kissed the hell out of him.

Whimpering Louis wrapped his arms around the man's neck for support as his legs turned to jelly, sighing when Rorake's fingers threaded through his hair, yanking the hair tie out so that his fingers could fist in the blonde silk.

Mouths slanting hungrily over the other's the two squirmed to get closer to each other, Louis sliding one leg to curve up and around Rorake's thigh, wishing he could wrap his legs around the other man to get as close as they possibly could with their clothes still on. And then Rorake's hands were moving down to cup his ass, boosting the Gryffindor up just enough that Louis could wrap himself completely around the man with Rorake taking his full weight.

And how sexy was that, Louis thought with a sigh, purring his delight when Rorake began to sample the soft skin under his jaw. Tightening his legs around the Slytherin's waist Louis grinding their hips together, taunting them both with what they wanted so badly.

"You're killing me here, Freckles." Rorake groaned, nipping Louis's throat.

"Likewise." Louis gasped out in English, then began to mutter in French as the man went back to making a thorough tasting of his neck, Louis's head spinning at the Slytherin's harsh request that he get his shirt out of the way. With fingers that trembled Louis quickly undid the top three buttons of his shirt, gasping when Rorake leaned forward to slide his head under the cotton to get at more skin.

"Mon dieu."

Enjoying the feel of Louis's hands fisted in his hair Rorake nuzzled his face against the pale skin, the Gryffindor vocally approving the feel of the faint stubble he hadn't yet shaved off that morning against his sensitive skin.

Withdrawing only when he couldn't last another second Rorake lifted his head and turned his attention to see the Gryffindor's face, needing to see the reactions he was causing. Needing to know he was just as desired and needed. And seeing the perfect beauty of the man's face flushed with need, blue eyes dark and afire, Rorake cursed the fates that the Room of Requirement was currently occupied.

But at least the fangirls weren't around to interfere, he reminded himself as Louis's lips descended on his own.

)

"Holly, you shouldn't be spying on them." Lamia hissed to the other girl from their hiding place, shaking her head even as she snuck peeks in the direction of her prince and his boyfriend. Talk about bulging muscles, the Gryffindor girl thought as she watched the Slytherin's muscles flex. That the man was strong enough to take their prince's weight was sexy as hell.

"I'm not spying. I'm supervising to make sure nothing happens to them while they're otherwise engaged." Grinning as she watched Holly thought with glee about how she was going to be able to rub this in everyone else's faces. She was only sorry she didn't have a camera.

Knowing she should order the younger girl to stop, Lamia couldn't quite bring herself to do it. After all, they were the prince's bodyguards. And Holly had come with her because Natalia wouldn't take over until after breakfast. They couldn't just leave the prince with the Slytherin after all.

"The Slytherin really knows how to snog. Not many guys can pull off the yank and ravish so smoothly." Holly commented, her eyebrows rising as she watched their prince's hands disappear under the Slytherin's muscle shirt. And who could blame him? She wouldn't have minded getting her hands on Rorake Goyle at the moment either, if her prince hadn't already had dibs. Who knew the guy could be so sexy?

"Well I think it's a little unseemly for him to be putting the moves on our prince in broad daylight." Lamia sniffed, her cheeks reddening when she noticed that the Slytherin's very long fingers appeared to be kneading their prince's ass very lovingly.

"I don't think our prince minds." Holly drawled out, and Lamia had to agree with the girl.

Their prince appeared to heartily support the Slytherin's decision to jump him in the hallway.


	34. Decisions Made

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way it is. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Note: Louis's little Veela bomb is my idea, don't consider it canon lol.

Decisions Made

Lying on the mat side by side Al slowly turned his head when he felt Scorpius shift beside him. Watching the Slytherin prop himself up on one elbow Al reached out and tucked some of the blonde's hair behind the man's ear. Not that that did a lot of good. He'd stroked, fisted and combed the man's hair into a very well tousled mane. Talk about one very sexy Slytherin, Al thought with a well pleasured smile.

Smiling down at the man Scorpius brushed his fingers over the Gryffindor hickey marked neck, his gaze thoughtful as he spoke. "I've come to a decision that concerns you."

"Do tell."

"I've come to the conclusion that I'm not selfish enough." Leaning forward Scorpius pressed his lips against the spot where he'd marked his lover as his.

Al stared up at him questioningly, Scorpius's statement clearing his love sated mind in a snap. "Not selfish enough?" He did not like the sound of that one little bit.

Scorpius nodded. "So just a heads up, I've decided to keep you."

"Have you now?" Al wasn't sure how to take that either, especially since they weren't exactly together in a bond that could possibly last in its present state. "And what exactly do you mean by keeping me? I'm not the type to be kept, you know."

"Sorry, but you have no say in the matter." Scorpius informed the Gryffindor as he stared down at the man who knew him well enough to be weary. There was a word for the feelings his lover inspired in him, and Scorpius knew exactly what that word was. He had no intention of speaking that word though, at least not until he was a hundred percent sure that the feelings were unchangeable and he was stuck with them. "I've decided. I'm not going to marry the girl my grandfather has picked out for me, and I'm not going to become a Death Eater."

Eyes widening as much from Scorpius's tone as the man's words Al sat up, Scorpius doing the same so that they were almost eye to eye. "Are you serious? About that last part?" In the back of his mind he was celebrating the other two statements, but the complete confidence in the Slytherin's voice when he'd said he wouldn't be becoming a Death Eater held center stage in Al's mind for the moment.

Reaching out Scorpius took Al's hand in his and brought it to his lips for a brief kiss, the Gryffindor feeling it more strongly than the deepest of kisses. "My Potions teacher pointed something out yesterday that got me to thinking." Scorpius began, bringing the man's hand up to pressed it against his cheek. "She made me realize that with the exception of my grandparents, all the truly impressive Death Eaters are dead or imprisoned in Azkaban. Everyone else who bears that mark now was so pathetic that they weren't worth incarcerating for long or they weren't even considered a real threat to begin with. Yesterday demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that all that's left are a bunch of wannabes who really are nothing but Christmas trees. My grandfather might want to start it up again with some of his cronies, but none of them are strong enough to step into the Dark Lord's shoes and never will be." Leaning forward Scorpius placed a slow, lingering kiss against the other man's lips before continuing his explanation. "And while we both know I have the intelligence, drive and strength to lead…even I could only do so much with such incompetent help. I'm only one man after all."

"But what a man you are." Al said softly, having just realized that under Scorpius's Malfoy shell was a pure Black center. He was in love with a male version of Andromeda. Talk about your kick in the asses. Scorpius would never admit that he had a problem with the beliefs held by devote Death Eaters, so here he was justifying his dismissal of the group by deciding it wasn't worth his time and effort. Though it was possible Scorpius was serious, the way Andromeda was serious about her dislike and distain of everyone who hadn't wormed their way into her extremely choosy heart against her will. Either way, Scorpius's future was suddenly looking a hell of a lot brighter. And more, Al couldn't stop himself from maybe, just maybe, seeing himself as being a part of that brighter future.

As if he could sense what the other man was thinking Scorpius's eyes locked in on the Gryffindor's. "And to reiterate, you're my man now. And I aim to keep it that way."

"And if I don't like the idea?" Al inquired, nuzzling his face against the side of the Slytherin's neck.

Scorpius wrapped his arms around the man's waist as he answered. "Then we'll go back to my idea of holding you hostage in the school's dungeon until you change your tune."

"Well if those are my only two choices…."

)

To escape prying eyes Louis had forced himself to let go of Rorake long enough to suggest a change in venue. The Slytherin had been just as reluctant to turn him loose but knew better than to argue. So he had let Louis lead him off, having no idea where they were headed and honestly not caring. Concentrating on the feel of Louis's good hand holding his Rorake did his best to ignore the two Gryffindor girls following them, now aware of their annoying, watching presence. They were hanging back, he'd give them that, but they were still there and they'd already seen more than he was comfortable with.

When they came to a stop Rorake raised an eyebrow as a door opened at Louis's whispered command, the Gryffindor leading into a room he'd never seen before. A bathroom from the looks of it. Looking around while Louis shut the door behind him Rorake turned to give the blonde a questioning look when he'd finished studying the interesting tap system already working. "Where are we?"

"The Prefects' Bathroom. I love my baths, and with Al and most of my fan girls being prefects…I get the password too." Louis slid a hand up the Slytherin's chest, enjoying the strength and muscle definition he felt through the cotton. "I figured we could both use a relaxing soak before school starts for the day."

Rorake moved his hands to press Louis's hand against his chest. "You sure about that?" Looking around Rorake couldn't deny that he wanted the man naked and under him, but this wasn't exactly how he'd pictured that happening. He didn't want the Gryffindor to think he was only interested in getting some after all.

It wasn't hard to figure out what the Slytherin meant, and Louis smiled up at the man with tender amusement. "I'm not asking you to make love to me in here, Snake Boy. This isn't the time and it certainly isn't the place. I can't miss class this close to NEWTS." And now a gleam came into Louis's eyes. "And we'd both miss all our classes if we got naked together now."

A similar gleam coming into his eyes Rorake wrapped his arms around the Gryffindor's slim waist, leaning his forehead against the blonde's. "ALL our classes, huh?"

Louis chuckled as he closed his eyes, all but purring his pleasure as he decided to let the Slytherin in on a little known secret. "Do you know why Veelas cause such strong hormonal reactions in men?"

"Because you're all beautiful?" Rorake guessed, getting the feeling the blonde was about to drop a bombshell on him. His hormones were certainly into overdrive at the moment, the feel and scent of the man driving him slowly crazy in the best kind of way.

"That too, but there's also something about us that causes hormone levels to rise in men, making our admiring audience slip into a sort of daze where they forget about everything but impressing and pleasing us." A devilish smile curved the Gryffindor's lips. "Most men consider that daze an annoyance after they're away from us, never knowing that it's a good thing we can cause that reaction in the men we choose to take to bed."

Rorake pulled back a little so that he could look the man in the eye. "And why is it a good thing?"

"Because that reaction allows you mere humans to keep up with us longer." Louis licked his lips then, just for emphasis. "You see, sex doesn't tire us out, it invigorates us. By manipulating your hormone levels we trick your body into recovering quickly so that we can do it again and again and again until your body gives out from pure exhaustion."

"Oh."

Amused at the way the other man's eyes had glazed over, his boyfriend's hands falling away from his waist, Louis took advantage of that fact to head for the large bathtub, which had begun to fill upon their entrance. Stripping out of his sling and shirt Louis tossed them one handed onto a chair, using a pillar for support as he awkwardly removed his shoes, socks, and trousers. Clad only in his boxers Louis turned to give the Slytherin a hot look before sliding into the tub, closing his eyes in pleasure as the heat soaked in.

The Gryffindor's grin widened moments later when his man slid in to sit beside him.

Opening his eyes Louis looked over at Rory. "Feels good, huh?"

"It's about to feel even better." Rorake assured the Gryffindor as he leaned in to press his lips against Louis's, a man of his word. And then, because Louis deserved it for so wickedly dropping his little hormone bomb, Rorake pulled away to whisper in the man's ear.

"Just so you know, Freckles, I didn't bother to wear anything under my work out clothes today."

"Oh."

)

"Can you believe that?" Louis ranted to his cousin during their first spare together, having dragged Al off to a deserted part of the library so that they wouldn't be overheard. "So the whole time I was completely aware that he was naked and I'm mostly human so I had to peek when he got out and…and Oh Dear Merlin, I have got to figure out how to get that man naked and on top of me ASAP."

Al stared at the blonde. "I could have really done without all the mental imagery, Louis."

"Yeah, well consider it part of your punishment for not telling me about Rory sooner. And besides, it's partly your fault that he jumped me in the hallway to begin with. He told me on our way out how you and your boy toy were all but doing it in front of him in the Room of Requirement."

Al supposed he should consider himself lucky that the two had done nothing more than some serious making out in the hallway and the Prefects' Bathroom. Though he was definitely dreading going to that bathroom, knowing what his two best friends had been up to in there. But since they were family as well as best friends Al felt obligated to point out the obvious. "Why not just use the Room of Requirement?" He could always reschedule his plans to meet his own Slytherin there that night. They did some of their best work in empty classrooms after all, Al thought with a wicked smile.

Louis shook his head. "No, I don't want to have to rush it or…no offense…for Rorake to lump our relationship in with what's between you and your James Bond."

"None taken." He was going to keep Scorpius's changing philosophies to himself for the moment, thinking it wiser to wait and see. Scorpius was serious now, but Al wasn't going to let himself hope too much until he saw for himself that Scorpius could hold up against the power Lucius Malfoy had over him. In a week they would all be heading home for Easter Holidays, he'd see what Scorpius was saying once they all got back before telling Louis what the Slytherin had said and implied.

"But it's going to be hard not to end up there." Louis sighed morosely. "And boy do I have plans once I do get him naked. My plans have plans."

Al had to laugh at that. "Well I'm sure he'll look forward to hearing them."

Louis grinned. "Actually, I was telling him all about some of the things I'd like to do to him in French while we were making out. Good thing he couldn't understand what I was saying, I'm pretty sure I asked him to do a number of things that are illegal even if gay sex wasn't."

Staring at his cousin for a moment Al slowly shook his head at his cousin sympathetically.

Confused at Al's reaction Louis's brows furrowed. "What?"

"Louis…Rory's mother grew up in Canada. Montreal, Canada. And even though that province hasn't belonged to the France in a long, long time, French is still their first language. Therefore Rory's mother's first language is French, and since her English isn't so great Rory says she speaks her native language whenever possible. I don't think there would be enough difference between the two versions of French that Rory wouldn't be able to understand everything you said."

"No way."

"Yes way." Al patted his cousin's shoulder. "But look on the bright side, your mother will love the fact that he speaks her language."

Louis was not up to seeing that as a silver lining at the moment. "I need to find him. Now."

"Then let's go find him."

)

As luck would have it Rorake wasn't far away, walking with Scorpius down a nearly deserted hallway. Ignoring his cousin's man for the moment Louis marched straight up to Rorake, tugging on the man's arm insistently as he fell into step beside the man. "Do you speak French? You don't right? Just your mum does, and you barely understand her, right? Right?"

Well that explained a thing or two, Rorake mused as he took in the blonde's worried, embarrassed expression. He'd been wondering why the other man hadn't been a little more bashful about some of the things he'd said while they were making out earlier. Louis hadn't realized that he both spoke and understood French. Moving closer Rorake leaned forward and spoke into the man's ear in perfect French. "Have you come to torment me some more, Freckles?"

While the blonde idiot reacted to whatever Rory had just said with much blushing and muttered words in French, Scorpius looked over at Al with a questioning look. "What am I missing here?"

Since Rory had been the one to confess their hidden friendship to Louis Al had volunteered to be the one to tell Scorpius about the fact that Rory was now sort of dating Louis. He'd just hoped to do it a little later when he'd come up with a good way to break it to the Slytherin, but with an opening like that…. "Our best friends are dating."

"They're what?" Scorpius goggled at Al is shock.

"They're dating. It's our fault too. We brought them together over their mutual worry that you and I would be found out."

Scorpius continued to stare at Al in dumbfounded shock, his brain unable to believe what the Gryffindor was telling him. Then he looked in the direction of their two best friends and had to believe since the two were giving off the same sexy vibes that he and Al had probably been giving off earlier in the Room of Requirement. That they were discussing something in French, the language of love, didn't help either.

"Okay, again with the too much info, guys." Al muttered in Louis and Rory's direction, being fluent enough in the language to get the just of what they were saying.

Correctly interpreting his Gryffindor's words to mean that his childhood friend and the he/she were discussing things he never in a billion years wanted to think about them doing Scorpius moved forward, grabbed Rory's arm, and without further ado started to drag his surprised friend back the way they'd come.

"Hey, give him back." Louis ordered, running after them to grab Rory's hand. "He's mine."

"Not for long he isn't. Whatever love potion or weird Veela trick you used to brainwash him into being interested in you is being flushed out of his system now. I'm taking him to the Medical Wing and if you think you can stop me, especially with only one hand, you're delusional."

"Just try it, Bond and I'll exercise MY license to kill." Louis hissed back like an angry cat, digging his nails into Rorake arm for emphasis as he kept a good grip on the man, pissed off that Scorpius was right about his other arm being useless.

"Does M have a license to kill?" Al asked his cousin, trying not to smile at what a ridiculous picture they made, with Scorpius tugging on one end and Louis on the other. It was a good thing Rorake was too big for either of them to seriously injury this way.

Louis paused for a moment to consider, shrugging the question off. "I'm the head of M16. Of course I have a license to kill. If I don't…well then I hereby give me said license and dare anyone to try and take it away from me."

"What are you two talking about?" Scorpius demanded to know, as confused about what they were discussing as Rorake was. "Why did you call me Bond, Weasley? And what the hell is M16? A codename for your stupid fan girl club?"

The other blonde glared at Scorpius. "My fan club is not stupid! And as for the rest of it, well if Al doesn't want you to know about your little nickname then I see no reason I should tell you anything either. Now let go of my Janus or I'll have Frost take you down again."


	35. Explain The Bond

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Explain The Bond

Seeing how things could go very wrong for all of them, particularly him, Al thought it wise to step in before things got out of hand. Walking over Al grabbed Louis's arm and tugged the blonde away from Rory. "Come on, just let Scorpius take him to the Medical Wing. It's not like Madam Pomfrey will find anything wrong with him and it will make the truth sink into Scorpius's head faster. And besides, we have more important things to talk about."

"Like what?" Louis demanded to know, reluctantly letting himself be dragged off.

"Like the fact that you can't be M and get Janus too. We need to come up with a new character for you. We'll let Andromeda be M. She's better suited for it anyway. She knows all and sees all where we're all concerned."

Louis had to admit the man had a point. "But then who will I be?" The Gryffindor demanded to know, distracted enough by the idea to forget why he needed to be keeping his Rory away from Malfoy. Falling into steps beside Al Louis gave the question his full attention. "I mean Janus's people were that nerdy computer geek and that psycho girl with the killer thighs. I am not being the psycho thigh girl."

Watching the two walk away Scorpius turned his head to look up at Rorake. "Psycho thigh girl?"

Rory shrugged with an equally confused look on his face. "I have no idea."

Scorpius's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, not liking the fact that he didn't yet have the answers to his questions. "Then I say we seek out the new M and find out if she knows what those two are talking about." He finally decided, crossing his arms decisively.

"I don't think we want to know." He'd seen the amused looks in the Gryffindors' eyes. No good could come from knowing where their strange nicknames had come from.

"Yes we do." Scorpius announced with a curt nod. "After Potions we're going to find out what the hell they were talking about. And then we're going to brainstorm ways to punish them since we're not going to like what she tells us."

Rorake gave the man a hopeful look, even though he knew it was pretty hopeless to think he could talk the other man out of talking to their Potions teacher. "Wouldn't it be better to remain ignorant? You won't get any if he's mad at you."

"I'll get some either way. I always do."

Rolling his eyes Rorake could only pray they weren't headed for disaster.

)

And so hours later, much to Rorake's sense of foreboding, the two stayed after class to talk to their teacher.

Walking over to his great aunt Scorpius gave her his most charming smile. "If you have a moment I was wondering if you could answer a question for us." When she nodded her head in agreement Scorpius carefully worded his inquiry. "We were wondering who M is exactly. We know that that person is the head of M16, whatever that is. Someone said that you would be perfect for the role and we were curious as to who M is exactly."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow at that. "Well of all the Muggles I could be compared to I suppose Dame Judi Dench is tolerable enough. M is a fictional character in charge of an English spy organization called M16, a Secret Service for the government. M, whether male or female, is the unfortunate person charged with trying to keep Bond under control."

"Bond? Who's that?" Scorpius asked, doing his best to hide his interest.

"A spy who goes by the codename 007. He's a troublesome pain in M's rear end who gets by on gadgets and his ability to talk women who should know better into helping him while he beds them. They often end up dead."

While Scorpius mulled over that Rorake figured he might as well know how bad his nickname was too. He wasn't getting any anytime soon anyway. "What about Janus. Who's that?"

It took her a moment to remember who that was. She hadn't watched the old James Bond movies since she'd lost her husband. "If I recall correctly, in the world of Bond Janus was one of the names for 006, a spy who was Bond's best friend. That last part changed, however, after James set a bomb during an ill fated mission and lied to 006 as to when it would go off. Not that Janus wasn't already on the other side, but he still took offense to Bond's lie. That's where the new nickname Janus came from, as the character's face was badly scarred on one side from the blast. Janus became a major underworld figure after his faked death and the two ended up trying to kill each other. Bond won."

Rorake nodded sagely. "I knew I didn't want to know."

"And last, but certainly not least, who is Frost?" Scorpius asked in a biting tone.

Andromeda raised an eyebrow over her great nephew's tone of voice. "Frost was another member of M16 who defected over to the other side. She had zero respect for Bond and slept with him only so that she could sabotage his weapon while the man was sleeping. She ended up dead as well, at the hands of one of Bond's bimbos."

"Small consolation."

She had no idea what was going on, but Andromeda had a feeling she'd be amused to find out.

Out of morbid curiosity, since apparently the woman mentioned had been on his character's team, Rorake posed his question while Scorpius continued to mutter and curse their Gryffindor boyfriends. "Professor Tonks, it was mentioned that there was a girl on Janus's team with…dangerous thighs?"

Her lips twitched, Andromeda couldn't help it. "The woman you're referring to had a great…love of killing people. Her favorite method was killing her male victims during foreplay by wrapping her legs around their waists and squeezing. Not good girlfriend material."

The two young Slytherins paled slightly at her matter of fact explanation.

"Can…can a woman really kill someone that way?" Scorpius asked slowly, getting some very disturbing images in his head.

"Just be glad you both seem to prefer men." Was all Andromeda would say on the matter, taking sadistic Black pleasure in the looks and thoughts she'd put into their poor little brains. "Now do you boys have anymore questions for me?"

"No ma'am."

The two men heading to leave Scorpius paused at the doorway, meeting her penetrating gaze for a brief moment. "I'm not going to be a Death Eater." He told her simply, before walking through the door, Rorake closing the door behind them.

)

On his way to Care of Magical Creatures Rorake smiled when Al and Louis fell into step with him, Louis squeezing his way between them. Allowing his fingers to brush against the blonde's Rorake smiled over at his man before putting his hands in his pockets to keep them warm and behaving. "Hey. You two brainstorm a new name for our former M yet?" He asked teasingly, having decided not to take offense to his own nickname. He could be Bond after all.

"Nope, no luck." Louis shrugged ruefully, having wracked his brain thoroughly trying to come up with a new role for him to play.

"We figure we'll watch what Andromeda has when we go home next week, refresh our memories." Al added with a grin, looking forward to re-watching the films.

"So for now you faked your own death and ended up in France, where you became a famous artist and I your gorgeous muse." Louis informed the Slytherin with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis.

"From a life of espionage and deceit to a life with you, twenty four seven. I guess I'm just one of those people who can't retire."

Al laughed while Louis mock scolded, too aware of his own high maintenance to take much offense.

The three walked all the way down to Hagrid's hut, Louis hanging around to chat with them and Hagrid until class started. The class went well, and together Rorake and Al headed up to the castle, Louis waiting for them so that they could all walk to the Great Hall for dinner together.

Rorake and Al knew Louis was doing it to piss Scorpius off, but they just smiled and let the blonde have his way.

It was only after dinner, on his way back to the Slytherin dormitories, that Rorake realized he'd forgotten to tell his best friend that Scorpius now knew the meaning behind the nickname the two Gryffindors had given him.

"Uh oh."

)

After dinner and his prefect rounds Al headed for the Room of Requirement, picking up the pace when the doors appeared on cue to welcome him. Curious as to what scene Scorpius had asked the room to present the Gryffindor wasn't sure what to think when he found the room completely empty except for Scorpius. There wasn't even a bed, Al noted, not quite sure to make of that especially. It wasn't like they had all night after all.

And then he got a good look at Scorpius's face as the blonde walked towards him and Al knew he was in trouble.

"Interesting mood you're setting. Very minimalistic." Al commented dryly as he watched the Slytherin closely for clues as to what the man might have planned.

"Actually, I thought I'd leave the scene setting to you, since you would know it far better than I, Frost." Wrapping his arms around the Gryffindor's waist Scorpius yanked his lover up against him, his grip forceful. "So tell me, just where were we when you slept with me to get your hands on my weapon?"

Al blinked in surprise, putting two and two together after a moment's pause. "You actually made yourself talk to a Muggleborn about the Bond genre?"

"I asked my great aunt."

"Ah." Crap. He should have seen that coming.

"So? Set the scene." Scorpius commanded, his tone broking no argument.

"I don't think the Room of Requirement can become a hotel room made out of ice." Al drawled out, though he was sorta tempted to try. "And even if it could I'm thinking your dislike of winter would put you off having sex on a bed that was also made out of ice."

Scorpius's eyebrows rose at the very idea. "Seriously? Isn't that taking the name Frost a little too far?"

Al laughed as he realized for the first time the irony of Bond and Frost's little love nest. He had to wonder if the writer had done that deliberately. Scorpius obviously didn't find it nearly as funny though, which meant he needed to change the topic and mood if he wanted to get the man smiling, or at the very least naked.

And with that in mind Al reached out and fiddled with the lapels of Scorpius's robes while the scenery changed around them to become a high end Muggle office, the Slytherin sandwiched between him and a large desk.

Scorpius raised a questioning brow at the Gryffindor, not understanding the reasoning behind the scene his lover was setting.

"As it happens Louis and I decided that Frost didn't really suit me. I'm not blonde, into fencing, and I don't intend to be killed by one of your discards. And since I don't intend to be killed or discarded Louis and I had a terrible time trying to come up with another good candidate. I thought Moneypenny, but that does cause some minor problems." Balancing up on the balls of his feet Al started to nibble on the Slytherin's jaw while his fingers got busy undoing the buttons of the man's shirt.

Leaning back against the desk Scorpius set his hands lightly on the Gryffindor's hips. "What sort of problems? And who is Moneypenny?"

"Moneypenny is M's assistant and the only woman besides M that Bond doesn't seriously try to take to bed. She's hopelessly infatuated with 007 but he never does anything more than flirt because she's special to him and he knows he couldn't just walk away afterwards. And she has her pride, so she refuses to throw herself at him the way all the other girls do." Spreading his shirt and robes apart Al started to move his hands over the pale skin of Scorpius's chest. "And best of all, M protects Moneypenny, so she's never in danger from Bond or his enemies."

"And if this Bond doesn't fear M enough to stay away from you?" Scorpius purred as he slid his hands under the Gryffindor's robes and around to the back to knead the other man's ass.

"Then I'd have to warn you, 007, that you take your life into your own hands, tangling with me." Al responded, nipping the Slytherin's bottom lip for emphasis. "Especially if you want to live to die another day." Crushing his lips against the man's Al moved his fingers up to circle and pinch the man's erect nipples.

Breaking off the kiss so that he could whirl them around, Scorpius impatiently urged the Gryffindor's hips up and onto the desk. Staring into the man's hot green eyes Scorpius shrugged out of his robes, tie and shirt, throwing the articles of clothing to the carpeted floor. "So you'll kill me if I don't satisfy you?" Scorpius asked, going to work ridding his lover of the same pieces of clothing.

"Maybe. The French don't call what we're about to do 'the small death' without reason." Al pointed out as he shrugged off the clothing Scorpius had undone, letting them fall back onto the desk behind him.

"La petit mort." Scorpius agreed, dragging his tongue up the Gryffindor's throat.

With one hand Al yanked out the tie holding Scorpius's hair at the nape of the man's neck, his hands then diving into the silvery blonde strands to hold the man to his throat, opening his legs further so that the Slytherin could settle more closely between them.

Continuing to mark the man's neck with teeth and mouth Scorpius's hands slid between them, undoing the man's belt and trousers, making a sound of approval when his lover squirmed against his fingers.

Heavy making-out ensuing Scorpius froze when the Gryffindor wrapped his legs around his waist, reminding the Slytherin a little too vividly of his earlier conversation with his great aunt. The memory was bad enough that he temporarily forgot how eager he was to get the man pressed up against him naked as his self preservation instincts kicked in.

Instinctively tightening his legs and arms around the man in response, Al didn't know what to make of the man's odd behavior. Scorpius almost looked…afraid of him. "What's wrong, Baby?" Shifting to sit up straight Al leaned forward to place his forehead against the Slytherin's, a touch of concern in his eyes.

"Baby?"

Al had to laugh at the man's droll, sarcastic tone of voice. Being called baby had certainly taken the blonde's mind off whatever had upset him in the first place. "Sorry, it slipped out. It'll never happen again...Pumpkin." It took a great deal of effort on Al's part not to smirk.

"Pumpkin? I've gone from a squalling infant to round and orange." Scorpius nipped the man's lower lip in retaliation. "You're on dangerous ground if you can't do better, Gryffindor."

"Would you prefer Sexy Slytherin?" Al asked with a pretty sexy twinkle in his eye, sliding his hands under the man's trousers so that he could cup the man's perfect ass, squeezing and kneading the flesh affectionately while he nuzzled his face against the Slytherin's.

"I can live with that. Now get off the desk and get those trousers out of my way. I'll clear off the desk." Scorpius grinned as he returned the nuzzling, sucking in his breath when the Gryffindor's fingers slid under to stroke the spot guaranteed to kick his need into overdrive. "Damn, Potter."

Al's chuckle was decidedly wicked as he withdrew his hands very, very slowly. "Damn Potter? What kind of endearment is that? That most definitely won't have me getting naked on this desk."

"How about My Damn Potter?"

Al shoved the man back with a smirk on his face, getting to his feet in one fluid motion. Hooking his thumbs in the loops of his pants Al's raised brow said plainly that the trousers were not coming off until he was called something a lot more romantic. Or at the very least something that didn't include a swear word.

"My Goofy Gryffindor?" Scorpius suggested, his hands moving down to get rid of the rest of the clothing, drawing it out for the Gryffindor's viewing pleasure.

Al licked his lips in appreciation. "Nope. Gonna have to do better than that."

Moving in closer Scorpius rained kisses on the Gryffindor's face, hands moving to stroke the man's sweaty back as he considered various nicknames that he would actually be comfortable repeating out loud. He wasn't the type to call anyone something like 'honey' or 'darling' after all. It wasn't his style. And thinking about Al's proposed endearment for him had Scorpius coming up with one he was fairly sure he could live with.

"How about My Gorgeous Gryffindor?"

"Gorgeous, huh?" Al grinned widely, both amused and a little gooey over the idea that Scorpius thought he was gorgeous. "I guess that'll do."

"Off with the trousers then."

And off they came.


	36. Something To Talk About

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Something To Talk About

Louis waited eagerly off to the side for Rory to exit the Great Hall after dinner. This was one of those times when his boyfriend being almost six foot six helped, Louis thought as he absently waved good night to one of his friends. And using his own six foot one height to his advantage Louis stood up on tip toes and did another scan of the students who had yet to make their way back to their respective dorms. Finally spotting him, with Malfoy unfortunately, Louis resigned himself to possibly having to speak to the annoying Lucius wannabe. Waving at Rory to get the man's attention Louis smiled widely when the Slytherin waved back.

It took some work on his part but by the time they'd reached the Gryffindor Rorake managed to convince Scorpius to go on without him. Even though he'd let his friend drag him to the Medical Wing and allowed Madam Pomfrey to look him over, Scorpius still didn't believe that Louis wasn't someone bewitching him, Rorake thought as he watched his roommate stride off without him. Which was a little annoying, but it was sort of nice that Scorpius was actually worrying about him.

Moving to stand in front of the Gryffindor Rorake gave the man a questioning look. "What's up?"

"The sky."

Lips curving into a small smile Rorake nodded his head in acknowledgement of the man's sass. "If we don't hurry up people will start to wonder what we're talking about, Freckles." He pointed out dryly, enjoying the way the nearby torch's light shimmered across the blonde's hair. But he was still well aware of the eyes watching, and not all of them were fan club members.

"Eager to get rid of me?" Louis inquired, calling upon his best puppy dog eyes to tease the Slytherin. "After all, after tomorrow you won't be seeing me for a whole week. Aren't you going to miss me horribly?"

Rorake had to work to keep a straight face. "I think I'll survive." Then he had to laugh at Louis's reaction, the blonde puffing out his cheeks in annoyance like a very adorable chipmunk. Reaching out Rorake cupped the man's cheeks, pressing them in teasingly. "Yeah I'll miss you, Freckles, stop pouting."

"I'm not pouting." Though of course he had been. "Aren't you going to ask me if I'll miss you?"

"Why ask a question when I already know the answer." Stroking his thumbs against the other man's cheeks Rorake smiled and then let his hands drop. "Bonne Nuit, Freckles."

"Bonne Nuit, Mon Cheri."

)

The next day there was most definitely an annoyed twitch to the swing of Al's hips as he made his way through the train compartments, heading for the one reserved for the prefects. They were ten minutes away from London and all the prefects should have been patrolling their assigned areas, making sure that the students were aware of this and were prepared to disembark from the train as quickly and as orderly as possible. But one prefect apparently thought he didn't need to do his duties, Al inwardly fumed. It was always the same and the fact that they were now lovers didn't give the damn Slytherin a get out of duties card.

Letting himself into the compartment Al walked over to where the stretched out Slytherin lay, drumming his fingers against his crossed arms while he tapped his foot in annoyance.

Cracking one eye open Scorpius's lips twitched. He couldn't help it. The man was just so damn adorable when he was trying to be all strict and bossy.

"You're supposed to be getting the rest of the spawns of Slytherin under control."

"Are they rioting without me?"

Looking down at the man Al braced a hand on Scorpius's shoulder and lean down so that their noses were almost touching. "I don't know about a riot, but I'll certainly trample you under my feet if you don't get your pretty ass out there ASAP. Move it, Malfoy."

"I can think of better ways to spend the next ten minutes." Reaching out with one hand Scorpius squeezed then started to rub another very pretty ass with knowing skill, his eyes daring the Gryffindor to play.

Al raised an eyebrow, fighting back the urge to grin back at the blonde. "Ten minutes is nothing to brag about. And I don't think either of us wants to meet up our parents smelling like sex and each other. So hands off and get to work."

"I like smelling like you." Scorpius purred, giving the man's ass a friendly slap.

And both men froze when they heard a third party make a strangled sound from the compartment's doorway.

Turning his head Al was tempted to drop to his knees and give thanks to the fates when he saw that the unexpected intruder was Frankie. His heart still beating like mad in his chest Al worked up a smile as he straightened, giving the shocked boy a reassuring look while he quickly changed gears.

"Guess you need me, huh, Frankie? Let's go then, shall we?"

Looking at Scorpius one last time, the Slytherin eyeing Frankie the way a lion eyed a wounded gazelle, Al knew he had to get his friend away from the Slytherin ASAP. Shaking his head Al reached down and reassuringly ruffled the blonde's hair in an easy affection that betrayed the extent of their relationship to the watchful Hufflepuff even more than the ass patting. "Come on, Frankie. His Sytherin-ness is apparently too delicate to do his job." Al gave Scorpius a look that said he'd handle Frankie, winking to lighten the mood before he walked over to link his arm through his friend's, leading the still in shock Hufflepuff out of the room before anyone else could think to speak.

"Al…Al he was touching your bum." Frankie mumbled as he let his friend lead him through the train.

"Yeah, he's rather fond of it, which I'd appreciate you keeping to yourself for the time being." Letting go of Frankie's arm Al slugged an arm over the Hufflepuff's shoulder instead. "He's not Gryffindor house broken yet and I still have some work to do before I'm ready to admit my interest. Be a pal? I'll give you chocolate."

Frankie just stared at the Gryffindor, slowly shaking his head as the whole thing slowly sank in. "Who would believe me?"

"That's the spirit."

)

Stepping out of the train Scorpius looked around, trusting that Al would have taken care of the Hufflepuff problem by now. And if not, it wasn't like he couldn't convince the little git to keep his little mouth shut. Looking around as the other students hurried off to find their various family members, Scorpius spotted his own family waiting for him off to one side, away from the rest of the crowd as per usual. It was tradition for his parents and their parents to meet his train, the seven of them then going out for a meal together. His mother's sister lived in Austria with her much larger family, they'd be coming for Easter dinner on Saturday.

This was his maternal grandmother one on one time with him so to speak. His cheeks hurt just looking at her.

"You look worried."

Turning Scorpius lips curved into a hint of a smile at the sight of his lover leaning up against the train. "The badger taken care of…or do I get to try my hand at taxidermy?"

Al rolled his eyes and then straightened up. "Frankie won't be a problem, so you'll leave him alone unless you want me turning you into a belt, Snake boy. See you next week." Giving the Slytherin a two finger salute Al moved to join the others, a smile twitching at his lips when he heard the Slytherin give a low but unmistakable whistle.

Ears just catching the sound of the Gryffindor's laughter Scorpius couldn't help but smile in return, though he caught himself quickly when a couple of his housemates gave him weird looks.

Since he hadn't bothered to bring anything home with him Scorpius didn't join the throngs looking to retrieve their bags, making his way instead through the crowds with relative ease since nobody wanted to risk bumping into him. As per usual his grandmother rushed him on sight, hugging him so hard Scorpius thought it a wonder his ribs didn't shatter like dropped crystal. Then came the cheek pinches and the how big he was getting spiel. And then it was time for his mother's father to give him the usual three whacks on the back and his own mother to hug him enthusiastically, thus completing the ritual for that side of the family. Now his father's parents and father nodded and greeted him in a dignified, civilized manner, as one would expect of them.

After ascertaining that he didn't need to retrieve anything the seven started heading out, Scorpius noticing his paternal grandfather glaring at someone as they made their way towards the exit. Turning his head to see who it was, Scorpius wasn't at all surprised to see that it was several some ones, the Potter/Weasley clan all gathered together for hugs and hellos. With a start he spied Andromeda as well, standing on the outskirts of the group but still a part of it none the less. Scorpius blinked when she suddenly turned her head to look in his direction, even though he shouldn't have been surprised. Nodding his head in her direction Scorpius watched her return the acknowledgement.

"Scorpius."

Just the way his grandfather said his name told Scorpius that the patriarch of the Malfoy family had caught him acknowledging his great aunt's presence and that he strongly disapproved. Big surprise there, Scorpius thought sarcastically, though he knew better than to say that out loud.

"So how have you been doing since Christmas, Dear?" His maternal grandmother asked, keeping one wary eye on Lucius and the other on Scorpius.

What had he been up to since Christmas, Scorpius silently mused, having to fight back the urge to laugh hysterically at the mess that had become his life since last he'd seen his grandparents.

Well, Grandmother, Scorpius silently began in his head, he'd come up with a rather stupid plan to seduce Albus Potter into becoming his evil minion, which had backfired horribly as he'd been the one to be seduced and was now so addicted to the damn Gryffindor that he was already going into withdrawal. He also had reason to fear that he might be addicted to the extent that the L word might apply to describe his feelings for the other man, which was not going to go over well with anyone. He'd also renewed his relationship with Rory only to find out that the big git had gone insane, hopefully only temporarily, and appeared to be quite infatuated with the Gryffindor he/she. And finally he'd been forced by his disinherited great aunt and his lover to come to the conclusion that his paternal grandfather was somewhat delusional to think that the Death Eaters could ever become the super power they had once been, and therefore the group no longer interested him which was going to piss his paternal grandfather off in ways he couldn't begin to imagine.

"I've been well, Grandmother. How have you been?"

)

Astoria left her husband in their bedroom and headed for her son's under the guise of having forgotten to tell him good night. Something was most definitely up with her only child, the woman mused as she headed down the stone hallway. Her son had been abnormally nice to her parents and had actually made the effort to appear somewhat interested in what they all had to say instead of concentrating solely on Lucius. In fact, she'd almost got the feeling that Scorpius was deliberately putting some space between Lucius and himself. Lucius had certainly seemed to think so. Her father in law had not retired in a good mood, and had actually gone straight to his rooms with Narcissa as soon as they'd arrived home.

Had Scorpius and Lucius had a fight? By Merlin she hoped so.

Stopping in front of her son's door Astoria timidly knocked, knowing how Scorpius hated to be bothered once he'd retired for the evening. But he called out for his visitor to enter and so Astoria let herself in, blinking in surprise when she spotted her son sitting in front of the fireplace, brushing out his hair as it dried. Walking over to him Astoria took a seat on the rug beside her son, smiling at him as she reached out to stroke his hair, forgetting for the moment why she'd come as she got lost in her memories. "It's gotten so long. I can remember brushing it for you when you were little, you used to love that. You'd tell me all about your day and I'd braid it for you so that it wouldn't be a mess in the morning."

To his surprise Scorpius realized that not only could he remember those times, but he actually remembered them fondly. He had actually looked forward to it when he was a boy. Studying the brush he held in his hand Scorpius was holding it out to her before he thought about what he was doing. And then her face lit up like a Christmas tree and Scorpius could only marvel at how something so small could delight her so much. Shifting to give her his back Scorpius held still while she ran the brush lovingly through his hair.

"Thank you for being so kind to my parents tonight." Astoria said softly as she worked. "I know how you dislike my mother's...overly affectionate nature and my father's love of talking about his business." Reaching out to shift over some of her son's hair Astoria blinked when she noted the slight discolorations near where her baby's neck joined his shoulders. Shifting the hair further away Astoria's brows furrowed as she leaned in closer, realizing what she was looking at with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Her son the ladies man. In a twisted sort of game Astoria started counting the visible bites, rolling her eyes expressively when she counted six of them. How many were beneath his night shirt Astoria wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Something wrong, Mother?"

"No. But you might want to think about wearing a turtleneck again tomorrow."

Belatedly Scorpius remembered why he'd worn the turtleneck earlier. "Damn. He did it on purpose too, because I told him not to." And then Scorpius realized what he'd said and started cursing under his breath with a great deal more heat. Twice in one day, Scorpius thought as he waited for his mother to call him on what he'd said. He was slipping, dangerously so.

Frozen in place Astoria opened and closed her mouth several times, so struck by what he'd said that she didn't even register the curse words coming out of her son's mouth. A man…a man had put those marks on her son's skin? Her boy had gone through all the women at Hogwarts so he was starting on the men now?

"I don't suppose you could just forget everything I've said?" Scorpius asked hopefully, when she said not a word.

"Is it Rory?"

"Rory? Really, Mother, of course not. He'd flatten me like a bloody pancake." Just the thought had Scorpius shuddering. Rory was practically his brother. "Rory's interested in the Gryffindor he/she, for reasons that are beyond me." Scorpius grimaced at the thought, then had to grin just a little as he imagined the two lovebirds breaking up the first time Rorake flattened the vain blonde.

The Gryffindor he/she? Who on earth could that be? What could that be? But more importantly, if not Rory then what boy was nibbling on her son? And even more important than that… "Scorpius…are you aware of the laws concerning…certain behaviors between wizards?"

"I was informed. How do you know about such things?" Scorpius asked, genuinely curious. The arcane laws couldn't be common knowledge since he hadn't known about them until Albus had told him.

"Oh. Uhm." Astoria ordinarily wouldn't have told her son the truth, but since he was apparently messing around with another man the woman couldn't see the harm in answering truthfully. "I had a great uncle who preferred wizards in that way. The family money bought off the law and it was never talked about outside the family. I myself only learned about it because my grandmother couldn't hold her liquor to save her life. She was a very talkative drinker and she'd never been fond of that brother in particular. He was their mother's favorite until it came out why he was refusing to marry."

So he'd gotten it from his mother's side of the family. Why did that not surprise him, Scorpius thought as he looked towards the heavens with a faint sigh. But since they were on the subject…. "So what happened with that great uncle? Did he get married?"

"No. He shared a flat with another wizard for many years I believe. They presented themselves as simply colleagues and roommates to the outside world. Both came from well off, influential families, and were Slytherins to boot. Messing with them would not have been in anyone's best interests I suppose. Is…is your…friend in our house?"

"That he is not. They aren't at all fond of him in our house and vice versa. Ours is a very, very, very…actually, there aren't really words that come to mind that adequately express my relationship with him. Suffice to say we're both fighting it like two wet cats in a sack."

Astoria nodded slowly, doing her best not to smile. "Hence the bite marks."


	37. You're An Angel

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy.

You're An Angel

Knocking on his father's office door with two bakery boxes in one hand, Albus waited until his father called out to come in before turning the knob to let himself in. Smiling at the unexpected presence of his Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron Albus closed the door behind him with his back. "Hey, you guys." Walking over to his father's desk Albus placed the top box onto the very crowded desktop. "Good thing I brought extra."

"Uh oh." Groaning at the delicious smells waffling from the box Hermione placed a hand on her waistline, trying to remember why it was she was trying to cut back.

Reaching out Harry flipped the box's top open, all but drooling as he took in the huge, perfectly glazed cinnamon buns. "Oh baby."

"That's what I said." Albus had to fight the urge not to eat another one as his father and uncle each took a roll, his aunt obviously losing the mental battle with herself. "It turns out that the store beside the one we're going to be checking out is a bakery. I think we might have to buy the place just so we can have breakfast at that place every day. They were giving out samples of this brownie…out of this world."

Hermione lost the battle and helped herself too. "This is the store that Draco Malfoy is going to show you this week?"

"Yup. I figured I should check the area out on my own, get a feel for it. So far I'm loving it. The building is going to need some work and remodeling, but it's been maintained pretty well. Or at least I think it has, not exactly my area of expertise after all."

Ron looked over at Harry questioningly. "You're going with them for that, right?"

Albus gave his uncle a dark look and answered before his father could finish chewing. "He is not. We'll be just fine by ourselves. The company Mr. Malfoy works for has a sterling rep, for your information. We're not idiots and neither are they. Selling us a dud would only come back to haunt them in the long run."

Ron reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "That wasn't what I'm worried about."

"Draco hasn't caused anyone trouble since the War, Ron." Hermione reminded her husband sternly. "From all appearances he learned from his mistakes and deserves credit for reforming himself. If you want to make cracks about dangerous Malfoys, Lucius or Draco's son would be the better picks."

"Scorpius isn't so bad once you get to know him."

Three pairs of eyes turned to drill into him, Albus hunched his shoulders reflexively. "I'm just saying. He's like a male version of Andromeda really."

The Golden Trio looked at each other in silent contemplation, not quite sure if that was a reassuring comparison.

"Anyway, I'll get out of your guys' way if you're busy." Albus began, getting the feeling he better leave before they started to ask him questions he wasn't about to answer. "I just wanted to drop those off since the ones in the other box will probably all be gone by the time you get home, Dad."

"Actually, Albus, I wanted to ask you a question."

Not missing the look his father aimed in his aunt's direction Albus knew he probably wasn't going to like what she was about to say. "What's up?"

Hermione moved to stand in front of Albus, wanting his full attention. "I promised you that I would get the laws thrown out that prevent you and Louis from having romantic partners you can publically acknowledge. I meant that promise and I will do everything in my power to get those laws thrown out at the next meeting of the courts. There are a lot of people who've promised me their support, Albus, but the courts are still largely made up of individuals who are very traditional and narrow in their thinking. I've approached them one on one, I've made the arguments…but I don't think I'm going to get enough votes this time around, not unless I'm willing to owe people favors that I can't in good conscience owe."

Albus forced himself not to give away his reaction to the news, honestly not all that surprised by the news. This wasn't the first time she'd tried to get the laws thrown out after all. "It's okay, Aunt Hermione. Don't do anything you don't think is right. Louis and I know you're doing everything you can."

Hermione reached out to cup his face between her hands. "I know, Albus. But I do have a Plan B, one your father isn't terribly fond of but I think might work." The woman took a deep breath before continuing. "We all know that your father's name carries weight. A lot of people will support or abandoned projects depending on his opinions. There was even polls in the Daily Prophet when he announced his engagement to Ginny, debating whether she was good enough for the Chosen One or not."

"Yeah, Mum's still sore about that."

Hermione nodded in agreement before getting to her point. "Albus, the question I have for you is whether or not you would be willing to come completely out of the closet before the courts go into session this time. They might not be willing to throw the laws out for the good of the people, but they might be willing to do it for the Chosen One's son."

"Oh."

)

Draco sat alone in his study, pretending to read a book. He was doing a poor job of it, he hadn't turned a bloody page in at least five minutes. His son was romantically involved with another man. What the hell was he supposed to think about that? Was he supposed to tell Scorpius that Astoria had, in a state of shock, blabbed and told him? Would that destroy the fragile bond his son seemed to be trying to form with them now? But it would be a good thing, wouldn't it, for Scorpius to know that him suddenly starting to prefer men wasn't something that would change how he or Astoria felt about him, Draco silently reasoned.

The same could not be said for his own father, but Draco could imagine few things better than his father and son breaking their ties. It would be the best thing that could happen to Scorpius.

And in the back of his mind another thought continued to circle around Draco's mind. One he hadn't shared with his wife the night before. If Scorpius chose to be with this other man, whoever he was, that would mean that the Malfoy bloodline would end with his son. It would all just end.

His father would do everything to prevent that, but he would do everything in his power to ensure that happened. He hadn't been able to die Astoria a child when it had been what she had wanted most. But Malfoys had no place in this new world they lived in. Their reign was over. It was time to make way for the new.

Sensing a presence standing over him Draco slowly looked up, meeting his father's gaze without flinching or looking away. He let his father see, as he always did, how much he despised what the man had let himself become. Perhaps he was now only the shadow of a man, but a shadow was better than a disease.

"Where is Scorpius?"

"He went out."

Lucius stared down with all his hate and disappointment plain in his eyes. "Where did he go?"

Draco thought about not telling the man, but that seemed incredibly childish under the circumstances. Especially since there was no way his father would go chasing after Scorpius. "He went to Diagon Alley. Apparently he needed to pay a visit to a bookstore."

Something flashed in his father's eyes, something that had the hairs on the back of the younger man's neck stick up. "What is it? Why does that worry you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lucius responded, his face closing down so that not a hint of emotion surfaced.

Slowly Draco got to his feet, actually forcing the man to take a couple fumbled steps backwards. He knew his father, knew more than he'd ever wanted to know about how the man's mind worked. He'd watched the years stripe his father of all that had made him the man he'd loved and sought to emulate from his birth. And knowing the man before him as he did Draco knew, without being told, why he'd seen that brief look in the man's eyes. "Something's going to happen there today. Something like what happened at the school. What's going to happen? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"He's mine. Nothing will happen that he can't handle." Lucius sneered to hide the faint glimmer of concern he felt seeing the unexpected fire entering his son's eyes. "He's not you, Draco."

Getting right up in his father's face Draco's eyes promised dark things. "I'm going to Diagon Alley. If so much as a hair on my boy's head is out of place I'm coming back here and taking it out on yours. You stopped being my father decades ago. Don't think our shared blood will save you from me now."

And turning on his heels Draco headed for the door, never so glad for the Dark Mark staining his arm. It meant he'd been trained to take lives without hesitation. And if anyone or anything meant to harm his boy, he would not hesitate.

)

Stepping out of the bookstore Scorpius was less than pleased with the establishment. As he'd hoped they'd had a few books on Veelas, but none of them had provided him with the information he needed in order to figure out what Louis Weasley had done to Rory, much less how to undo it. He supposed he could try some of the used bookstores, but he had the feeling those would be a wash too, just like the school library. Veelas were just too good at bewitching people. That or people were just too afraid of them to write anything they thought the Veelas would take offense to.

But he would figure out how to help Rory, he was determined.

Trying to remember where the nearest used bookstore was Scorpius tensed up automatically at the sound of screams ripping through the street without warning. He had just enough time to wonder what was causing the distress before three cloaked, black figures came flying around the street corner, bringing with them the darkest, most painful of memories.

Oh that was just great, Scorpius thought darkly, staying where he was while everyone around him screamed and scrambled to get away from the Dementors and the threat they posed. Just a perfect way to cap off his fruitless errand. What was next, a bloody Batilisk? And did they really think that all that screaming and running was necessary? Please. That just excited the mindless shadows more. The Slytherin's annoyance only increased when people started bumping into him, daring to invade his personal space like the mindless idiots they were.

Shaking his head at the stupidity that was most of mankind Scorpius looked around for somewhere to stand that would prevent him from being caught in the stampeding mob that was threatening to form at any moment.

And then his eyes happen to spot and catch on a single individual, a little boy not much older than five or six. It was the hair that did it, black and sticking up at the back the way a certain Potter's did. The boy was no relation, but the hair was enough to single him out for the Slytherin in those fleeting seconds. Enough time for Scorpius to make that connection as the boy cried out for his mum in stark terror as the three Demontors flew overhead.

So that without thinking Scorpius drew his wand and aimed. "Expecto Patronum!"

Blinding white light appeared from his wand, Scorpius choosing the memory of his little Easter party with Albus the night before they'd left the school as his happy thought. In the spirit of Easter they'd gone at each other like rabbits and there had been chocolate involved. It was a holiday tradition that would bear repeating if possible.

The Slytherin's patronus shone enough light that the Dementors immediately flew higher into the air in cautious retreat, but it hadn't taken on its usual shape, Scorpius realized with a frown, seeing now the form his light had taken. Why had his patronus become a bird? Since when?

And then a second patronus, also a bird flew in to fly along side his, the two moving together in a sort of dance that had the Dementors vacating the area completely now that there were two powerful patronuses to contend with.

Following the stream from the patronus Scorpius watched Albus come from the other side of the street, the Gryffindor strolling down it while others stuck their heads out of doors and alleyways. Mentally reminding himself not to appear friendly towards the man, Scorpius's eyes widened when he felt something wrap itself around his leg. Looking down the Slytherin stared at the little boy who'd attached himself to his leg.

What the hell?

The same thought was going through Albus's head as he walked over to stand in front of his lover, studying the child with interest before looking up to meet Scorpius's gaze with a questioning look.

"Get him off."

"He seems pretty determined to stay where he is." Albus pointed out with a barely concealed smirk. If the kid only knew what kind of a guy he was clinging to. "And by the way, since when is your patronus a falcon too?"

"I'd say bite me, but you already did and my mother noticed. You bastard."

Now Albus couldn't prevent a smile from sliding across his face. "Don't be blaming me for that. You know that you plus chocolate is too much of an aphrodisiac for me to resist."

Giving the Gryffindor a dark look Scorpius turned his attention to removing the child clutching his leg like it was a life preserver. "I would advise you to let me go now or else."

"Don't scare the child."

"Scorpius."

Turning their heads Scorpius and Albus watched the Slytherin's father rush over towards them, pushing people out of his way in his haste to reach his son. Both boys raising a hand in greeting Albus grinned when the elder Malfoy drew Scorpius in for a hug before the man realized what he was doing.

Looking a little embarrassed Draco drew back, giving his son a thorough looking over, studying the small child clinging to his boy's leg. "You're all right? What happened here?" The fear and unrest was still heavy in the air, but he saw no signs of danger anywhere.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Scorpius answered stiffly, still a little in shock from his father's unexpected show of worry and affection in public.

Thinking the two Malfoys might need a moment Albus squatted down so that he was the same height as the little boy, smiling kindly as he reached out to stroke the boy's head in a reassuring manner. "Hi there, I'm Albus. What's your name?"

"Not supposed to talk to strangers." Was the child's muffled response as he tightened his grip on Scorpius, his face buried against the Slytherin leg.

"That's right, you're not supposed to in most situations, but I want to help you and I can't do that if you won't talk to me. Will you at least tell me where your family is? I'm sure they're very worried about you. If you let go of Scorpius, I'll help you find them." It was only a matter of time before his lover removed the boy from his leg whether the kid wanted to let go or not.

The boy looked over at the Gryffindor with a stubborn gleam in his brown eyes. "I wanna stay with my angel."

All was silent as all three men looked down at the boy and spoke in perfect unison. "Your angel?"

"Uh huh. He's my angel." The boy announced, looking up at Scorpius in adoration. "You made the monsters go away. My mum told me that all kids have guardian angels to take care of them when bad things happen and you're mine, right? You even have pretty hair, just like in the pictures. Where are your wings? Can I see them, please?"

Albus's eyes went wild as he fought desperately not to laugh while Scorpius just shook his head slowly, too dumbfounded to speak.

"This has to be the first time a member of our family has ever been mistaken for anyone's guardian angel." Draco pointed out, a faint smile teasing his own lips.

Luck was with the men though, as moments later a frantic woman Draco vaguely recognized from his school days burst out of the interested crowd watching them, her teary gaze zeroing in on the boy with a look of outrageous relief. "Thomas!"

"Mum!"

Letting go of Scorpius's leg the boy ran to his mother, who held him for dear life as she cuddled him against her. Over the boy's head she looked to see who had been watching over her son, her eyes all but bugging out of her head when she realized that her son had been holding onto the son of Draco Malfoy. Her shock was doubled when her baby informed her that the Slytherin had saved him and was an angel.

"I…uhm…thank you…for protecting my son from the Dementors." The woman stuttered out, obviously stumbling over her thanks as she tried to figure out what had possessed the boy to come to her son's aid.

Jerking his shoulder in embarrassed acknowledgement of her thanks Scorpius did his best to keep his face as cool and expressionless as possible. Everyone was staring at him now and it was really starting to piss him off. "Just keep better track of him next time."

"He means you're welcome." Albus added helpfully, smiling at the woman in the hopes of putting her more at ease.

Scorpius looked over at the Gryffindor and scowled. "I meant exactly what I said."

Albus couldn't help himself, he had to wave his finger teasingly at the other man with a grin on his face. "Come on now, is that any way for an angel to look or speak?"


	38. Tricking The Parents

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Happy V-Day Weekend! Some fluff before the action to come.

Tricking The Parents

Scorpius glared at the grinning Gryffindor, looking like he would very much enjoy ringing the other man's neck with his bare hands. "Call me an angel one more time, Albus, and I'll be your angel of bloody death, dragging you down to the fiery pits of hell. And I'll do it with one hell of a smile on my face too."

"Sounds hot." Al shot back, only just able to keep a straight face.

While his son gapped at the boy Draco tried to figure out why he was suddenly getting a very bad feeling about the look in the Gryffindor's eyes. Maybe the Dementors hadn't entirely left the area?

Taking advantage of the now calm situation, the mother dragged her son off to get them home to the rest of their family, many of the others leaving to be replaced by other curious onlookers. Onlookers who didn't necessarily know that the two Malfoys present had had nothing to do with what had just happened. And so the feel of the crowd started to change from one of bafflement to anger and suspicion. Even more so when it began to circulate that the younger Malfoy had just threatened the life of the Chosen One's son.

As fun as he found needling Scorpius to be Al wasn't unaware of the changing mood of the crowd and quickly took stock of the situation, the Gryffindor shocking the hell out of the two Malfoys by looping an arm through each of theirs, dragging them behind him as he headed off in the direction that he'd come, telling everyone to have a good day and return to their business.

Everyone was so shocked they parted like a wave to let the three men through.

Looking over at his son Draco could see that the boy was as stunned as he was as he allowed himself to be dragged after the Gryffindor. "Most unusual."

"As unusual as you hugging me." Was the boy's sarcastic reply, still reeling from that as much as what he'd done mere minutes ago. Plus the Gryffindor's damn hot comment had gotten him thinking about sex and once you started it was very hard to stop where his lover was concerned. The other man was going to pay for his comment at the first opportunity, Scorpius thought darkly.

Draco couldn't argue with that, but he couldn't explain it either. How did you explain to someone, especially someone as strong and vital as his boy, what it was to have your entire existence depend upon your connection with three people? To live a life so full of darkness and despair sometimes that only your mother, wife and son made facing it worthwhile. To know that losing even one of them would spell your end because your hold on life was that tenuous. Perhaps he was being overly dramatic and pessimistic, but at times like this, he had a hard time believing otherwise. He wanted to grin like an idiot at the moment, for no other reason than his son was hale and hearty enough to be sarcastic.

"Hugging never hurt anyone." Was Al's opinion, having been eavesdropping.

"That depends on whose being hugged or doing the hugging."

Al rolled his eyes at Scorpius's opinion. "Mr. Malfoy, you need to give him more hugs so that he gets used to them. With his prickly attitude he needs all the softening he can get. His future partner will thank you with good care in your old age."

If they'd been alone Scorpius would have made a crack about how the Gryffindor preferred him hard to soft, but his father was right there so he had to swallow that smart ass remark. "I get all the hugs I need, thank you very much."

He was all about to argue when Al suddenly realized what he was missing. "CRAP! MY CINNAMON ROLLS!" Only now did he remember that he'd ditched his bakery box when he'd seen the Dementors and heard the screams. Looking depressed now Al let go of the Malfoys and turned around to give them a truly pitiful expression. "I had the best cinnamon rolls ever and now they're all gone and I blew all my money on them earlier!"

"You and your bottomless pit stomach." Rolling his amused eyes Scorpius smirked at the Gryffindor. "You'll get plenty of your precious chocolate before the week is over so quit whining."

"I never have enough chocolate, you know that."

"You are insatiable in that regard."

Looking back and forth between the two that horrible feeling started to gnaw at the older man's gut again, a germ of an idea beginning to sprout in Draco's mind as he picked up on the vibe between his son and the Gryffindor. The Gryffindor who had and was being extremely nice to him despite all the boy's very good reasons not to even be civil to him. In fact, his former archenemy's son was treating both him and his son like they were all friends. His son more than just casual friends, come to that. There was an air of intimacy…connection…just something that suggested that it wasn't unusual for them to be talking to each other with fighting or slander. And the underlying double meanings…if they were indeed double meanings…seemed to insinuate…

But no. No, no, no, no, NO.

It just wasn't possible. No way in hell. Not in a million years.

But if it was…if it could conceivably be that his son could develop those kinds of his feelings for the Potter boy…then his father would…

Lips twitching like mad Draco knew he shouldn't find the idea remotely funny. In some part of his mind he knew the idea should nauseate, horrify, and at the very least threaten to send him into a permanently catatonic state. And he would get there, Draco thought as he burst into peals of laughter that shook his whole body with mirth. But at that precise moment, thinking of his father's reaction, Draco couldn't do anything but find the idea anything short of gut wrenchingly hilarious.

Watching his lover's father laugh Al's lips twitched in response. "Your dad should laugh more often. It takes decades off his face."

"My question is what is he laughing about?" Scorpius wanted to know, watching his father with mild concern. The man was laughing so hard he thought the older man might be in danger of damaging his rib cage. He'd never seen his father look so carefree and…amused before. It was startling…but it was sort of nice too, to see the man look un-shadowed for once.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Was Harry opinion as he walked to stand beside his son, having spotted the trio on the way to the scene of the reported Dementors attack.

Meeting the gaze of his long time rival and mutual pain in the ass, Draco's laughter cut off so suddenly it had the boys jerking in surprise at the sudden silence. And staring into the man's eyes Draco sighed. "And here comes the horrifying nausea." The older Slytherin muttered with resigned despair, the images of his father's reactions being replaced by traumatizing scenes featuring the two boys watching him so curiously.

Back to the reality of the situation and the horrible possibilities.

And with that in mind Draco grasped his son's arm and gave it a tug to indicate the boy was to follow his lead. "We'll be taking our leave now."

"Do you know anything about what happened here, Draco?" Harry demanded to know, not about them to leave just yet.

Draco's lips curved instinctively into a superior sneer reminiscent of days long past. "You and I both know the parties responsible for what almost happened at the school and here, Potter. So why don't you get off your lazy ass and do something about it before someone gets killed."

And now it was Draco's turn to drag his son off while the Potters watched them go.

)

Harry watched them until they were out of sight before turning his head to ask for his son's version of what had happened up until his own arrival. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that the Malfoy heir had actually been the one to disperse the creatures though. But then again, maybe the boy had simply been annoyed by the reaction the Dementors would have inspired and had sought to eliminate the cause without a thought for the others in the crowd. That at least made some sense. But at the same time, as Draco had so bluntly put it, they both knew very well who was responsible for what had happened. And last time he'd checked, Scorpius Malfoy was very much in his grandfather's pocket.

Belatedly remembering the comment his son had made earlier about Scorpius being like a male version of Andromeda Harry wondered if his arranging the woman to come to Hogwarts had somehow resulted in the two Slytherins bonding somehow. Stranger things could happen after all, especially at Hogwarts.

"So are you going to question Lucius Malfoy over this?" Al asked, having no doubt that it had been Lucius and the man's cronies Mr. Malfoy had been referring to earlier.

Harry's sigh was a frustrated one. "He'll have an alibi. He always does."

"Well maybe almost causing harm to Scorpius will have him rethinking his random acts of violence temporarily?"

"I wouldn't count on that."

It was Al's turn to sigh now. "Yeah, me neither."

)

When the knock came Elise Goyle felt immediate trepidation. It was almost eight at night, not the time for someone to just drop by hoping to borrow some sugar. Not that her neighbors made a habit of dropping by. They neighbors preferred to pretend the Goyle family didn't live on their street whenever possible. Walking towards the door the tired woman just hoped her husband hadn't gotten into trouble, wherever he was. Money was tight enough without them having to bail him out again for getting into a brawl.

Opening the door Elise stared at the nervous looking girl on her porch in surprise. A slim, strawberry blonde girl with stunning green eyes and truly excellent taste in fashion. Poor thing though, the older woman thought, estimating the girl to be at least six foot one without heels. She probably towered over most of the boys, who wouldn't as big as her own boy. Looked to be about her boy's age too, Elise realized, eyes widening slightly as it occurred to her that perhaps the girl was there looking for her Rory.

Realizing she was staring rudely Elise flushed. "Bonjour, pardonne moi, Je-I mean, how can I 'elp you?" She asked, her French accent thick.

"Bonjour." Louis returned, trying to remember to keep his voice as low and feminine as possible. He figured that imitating Domi's way of speaking was his best bet in his present situation. "Is Rory home, please?"

Pleasure lighting her eyes at the girl's perfect French accent Elise was delighted when the girl had no problem understanding her French as she explained that her Rory was upstairs in his room. It was easier for her to express herself in her native language, especially since she was a shy, reserved woman by nature.

The two chatting away Elise invited the Gryffindor to follow her upstairs, casually inquiring as to whether the girl was in Slytherin with her boy.

Inwardly wondering if his girl version looked like a Slytherin Louis did his best not to be insulted as he explained that he was in Gryffindor, not wanting to lie more than he had to. He could see that his response unnerved her a little, but he kept up the chatter in French, which reassured her and put her back at ease.

Knocking on her son's door Elise waited until he called out for her to enter before letting herself into the room. With a smile she informed her son in French that he had a visitor, motioning to the girl who'd entered at her side.

Slowly rising to his feet Rorake studied the girl, instantly knowing that he knew her though at a loss at first as to where from. But as an artist he was skilled at noting each feature that made up a person's face and while the eye and hair color were wrong, the nose hadn't changed, nor had the lips now painted red. Plus the height and his physical reaction were big clues as to the truth of his visitor's identity.

And so, with a lot of effort employed to keep a straight face, Rorake worked up a smile. "Merci, Maman. Bonjour." He added as he nodded at Louis, not sure what name the Gryffindor would have used.

Reading between the lines Elise hastily made her exit after confirming that there was no need to get either of them refreshments.

Rorake waited until he heard his mother's footsteps on the stairs before he walked over to get a closer look at what his man had done to himself. "An interesting look for you, Freckles." Hair dye, eye shadow, mascara AND lipstick, the Gryffindor had even painted his nails, Rorake noted with barely concealed amusement.

Louis's painted lips twitched in amusement as he wrapped his arms around the Slytherin's waist. "Don't be knocking it. My sisters worked very hard turning me into a girl for you. A very stunning and hot girl if I do say so myself." Turning his head the Gryffindor kissed the side of the man's neck before nuzzling close. "Sorry for dropping in on this, but I was worried. You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine. Why would you be worried?" Rorake asked, reaching up to stroke the other man's hair, not liking the new color. But if his father had been home the change in hair color would have been necessary, the resemblance to the man's sisters would have been too obvious. It was still obvious after a hard look, but his mother didn't get out enough to know what the Delacour/Weasley girls looked like.

"Obviously you didn't hear what happened at Diagon Alley today. Someone, or more likely a group of people, sent a bunch of Dementors there to traumatize the populace. Apparently your pal Malfoy was there and actually played the hero for once. He used his patronus to get rid of them."

"Really? His snake is one hell of a weapon." Rorake agreed, having seen the anaconda patronus in the past. It was a quite a sight to see when it was trying to squeeze the Dementors in its coils.

Louis's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "A snake? His patronus isn't a snake. Al was there and he said that Malfoy's was a bird, just like his." And then a thought occurred to him that had the Gryffindor's lips curving in understanding. "Well isn't that interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"His patronus changed. I assume you've seen it before and it was a snake at that time?" When Rorake nodded Louis's grin grew. "As it happens, another relation of your mate's had a patronus change too. Hers changed when she was trying to convince a certain werewolf to date her. Teddy's mum's patronus became a wolf."

"And Scorpius's patronus is currently a bird, just like Al's." Rorake finished, his lips curving into a small smile as he got what Louis was suggesting.

Storing the news in the back of his mind to analyze with Al later Louis turned his attention back to the reason he'd come. "Since you didn't know about the Dementers I guess me coming here was sorta pointless. I just thought…well that they'd be wanting to use some people with brains this time around, but still use people from the younger generations so they wouldn't get their own hands dirty. I knew you wouldn't be a part of anything." Louis added quickly, not wanting the man to think he'd suspected the Slytherin of having any part in the evil plans. "I just worried that maybe they'd tried to recruit you. I doubt they take well to being told no and with your dad being a former Death Eater..."

"Lucius wouldn't recruit my father, much less me nowadays." Rorake assured the man, taking Louis's hands between his own, bringing them to his lips for a reassuring kiss. "He likes to say that its people like us that brought down the Dark Lord. I've heard him rant plenty about how they would have succeeded if they hadn't been reduced to adding the werewolves, giants and other less intelligent beings to their ranks."

"Damn but I hate that man." Louis hissed, understanding what Rorake was getting at.

"Join the club. But thanks for worrying."

Louis grinned sheepishly, smiling up at Slytherin. "Well, I'll admit that part of my reason for coming was that I was jonesing to see you again. I missed you."

"I missed you too. Though I much prefer you as a boy."

"Do you now?" Smile widening at the thought Louis pressed himself close to the man, one hand lifting to stroke the Slytherin's hair while the other cupped the back of Rory's neck, tugging him down so that he could press his lips against the man's.

Their lips were only pressed together for a moment before Rorake pulled his head back with a strange look on his face. "Hold that thought for a moment." Without another word the Slytherin vacated the room, coming back a minute later with a wet wash cloth in his hands. Walking over to the Gryffindor Rorake carefully removed the lipstick from Louis's lips. "If my Maman asks, we'll just tell her I snogged it off." And leaning forward once more it was Rorake's turn to place his lips against Louis's, savoring the taste of his man with pure pleasure.

And Louis's lips were certainly swollen and well kissed by the time Rorake escorted him to the door, so the lipstick removal excuse held out.


	39. Choices To Be Made

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Choices To Be Made

They were lost in the heat, the frenzy, the overwhelming need that had them rising to their knees facing each other, the Gryffindor's hands leaving Scorpius's tousled hair to grasp the hem of his own shirt, yanking it up and off in one frantic, desperate move. While he did that Scorpius's fingers moved just as hurriedly down his shirt, undoing buttons with enough impatience that the buttons were nearly pulled off the material. Then that too was off and they reached for each other, bare chest to bare chest as their mouths and tongues met with a desperation that had hands madly digging into muscles for something to hold onto. Something to keep them centered as desire spun them out of control.

Both fought for control over themselves and their lover without success. There could be none in this battlefield. What was between them was too huge for them to contain, and both silently acknowledged that they'd be disappointed to win over it. They won, together, simply by being together like this. Connected like this.

Backs hit the mattress under them as they rolled across the covers, the quest for top position a game they revealed in playing. It aroused them both to pit their strengths against the other, to attempt to so weaken their partner with the pleasure until he ceded his body over to the victor. That outcome was never certain, only the perfect pleasure.

Tonight he'd won, but Scorpius's head wasn't so big that he didn't acknowledge that the Gryffindor might very well be in his present position when the heat flared once more. Both their minds were overwhelmed by the stimulation the other provided to their senses, Scorpius unable to stop himself from prolonging the pleasure by leaning forward to taste the rich, dark taste his man's skin acquired when sex was on the menu.

Stomach muscles flexing and tightening at the long swipe of tongue, the man's lover's eyes flashed green fire as his nails dug insistent crescents into the man's hips as he grinded his own against them.

"So impatient." Scorpius murmured as his blood boiled with the heat, crushing his lips against the other man's as he grasped the Gryffindor's hips in turn. With practiced skill the Slytherin thrusted inside his lover, finding the man more than ready to take him in deep. Groaning low in his throat as they moved together, their sweaty skin slapping and sliding against each other's.

When his lover's groans melded with his Scorpius grinned wickedly, picking up the pace. "You like that, don't you?"

"I love that. I love you." The Gryffindor moaned back, his breathing choppy and as strained as his body, hungry for everything the other man had to offer.

"I love you too." Scorpius breathed out as he held the man tight, his lover doing the same. Held tight as his body plunged into the Gryffindor's until there was no choice but to let go and surrender.

And as he climaxed…Scorpius woke up.

)

Staring up at his bed's canopy Scorpius blinked several times before sitting up automatically, his body coated with sweat and his body both sated and achy. Achy because he was alone in the bed. But even as he mourned that fact in some part of his brain Scorpius was far more concerned and worried about what had been said towards the end of the sexy dream he would have preferred not to have woken up from. His mind rebelled against the words even as his heart called his brain stupid for thinking it could be otherwise.

Scrubbing his hands over his face Scorpius cursed both areas of his anatomy for causing him so many problems in such a short period of time.

If he wasn't nearly a hundred percent sure the Gryffindor felt the same way he'd be more than a little upset.

"This is not the way to start the day." Scorpius said to himself as he pushed back his covers and got out of bed.

He could only hope that the rest of the day went smoothly or he was liable to do something violent and potentially permemant.

But the surprises kept on coming for Scorpius, the Malfoys surprised after breakfast by an unexpected visit from Scorpius's maternal grandparents, who had dropped by to see him. Even more surprising, at least to Scorpius and his parents, was why they had stopped by. As they found out from his grandfather while his grandmother hugged him fiercely, the Daily Prophet had written an article about the Dementor attack from the day before and had painted him a light that no Malfoy had ever been pained in before. He was, according to the newspaper, a hero. One who had saved the life of a child and who had put himself at personal risk to do so.

Insult crossed the Slytherin's face over that last part. "My life was never in any danger. They were just Dementors for Merlin's sake."

"And they would have sucked the soul out of that boy if you hadn't intervened." Scorpius maternal grandfather argued, his pride in Scorpius obvious. "You did a good thing and your grandmother and I wanted to come here immediately to tell you how proud we are of you."

Not at all use to having good will and pride being shown quite so affectionately Scorpius awkwardly patted his grandmother's back as he carefully pulled himself from her grasp. "It was really nothing. Just another pathetic attempt at intimidation by individuals so dim witted they should be congratulated for being able to tell a hag from a Dementor."

The gaping silence that greeted his opinion was almost deafening in its undercurrents.

"The…the article said that they thought the two attacks were perpetrated by individuals trying to resurrect the Death Eaters." Scorpius's grandmother finally said as she looked up at her grandson questioningly, unsure how to proceed. She was no fool where he was concerned after all. They all knew what sort of man Scorpius was, or thought they had up until now. But what he'd done the day before, and his behavior when they'd picked him up from the train station…

Scorpius held his grandmother's gaze, not quite able to make himself meet his paternal grandfather's penetrating stare. "I wouldn't worry about that. It's not possible. There aren't enough of them on the outside to start it up again, and those who aren't imprisoned are free because they weren't considered enough of a threat to worry about. And to stand any chance at all they would have to have a leader worthy of stepping into the Dark Lord's shoes. I don't know about you lot, but no one comes to mind with the intelligence, charisma and power to pull that off. Well…other than me. But I see no point in wasting my time that way. I have better things to do."

No one was quite sure what to say in response to that either.

)

Al stood outside the store with Louis and Lysander, the three early for their meeting with Scorpius's father. The other two liked the location and the look of the building, definite pluses. Now if the outside lived up to the inside things would definitely look up, Al thought as he listened to the other two chatter away about the extreme yumminess of the cinnamon rolls they'd just finished devouring. And who could blame them, Al thought as he patted his own stomach in fond remembrance. It was very tempting to eat the one he had in the paper bag he held, but he forced himself to leave it alone. It was for Scorpius's father, his bottomless stomach be damned. Still, he was very thankful when he spotted the older man walking towards them, signaling the fact that he could hand the treat over before he gave into his basic greed.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy." Al called out, waving at the other man while Louis and Lysander stopped debating and added their own greetings to the mix.

"Boys." Nodding his head in acknowledgement of their greetings Draco had to work hard to keep his face and eyes unreadable as he joined the three young men in front of the door. He wanted desperately to talk to Potter, to thank him, to beg him if necessary to keep doing whatever he was doing that had wrought such change in Scorpius over the last term. But he had no proof other than his gut to say the Gryffindor watching him so intently was the cause of his son's attitude adjustment and the other two boys were also present. So he'd have to wait and bid his time, however difficult that might be.

Sensing the huge amount of emotion bubbling beneath the surface of the Slytherin's cool façade Al lifted his hand to hold out his gift to the older man. "I saved you a cinnamon roll."

Taking it from the Gryffindor with a look of surprise Draco's lips twitched ever so lightly. "I should have anticipated that you three would find the bakery. It's a well guarded secret in this neighborhood. Nobody wants to deal with the huge lineups that would result in word spreading about the ambrosia to be found there."

"They had nanaimo bars. I love nanaimo bars." Louis all but whimpered, forgetting for a moment who he was talking to. "I'm going to get so FAT if we buy this place."

Lysander shook his head, all seriousness. "Veelas have incredibly high metabolisms, Louis. It's unlikely you would gain more than a couple stones."

Louis gave the Ravenclaw a look that suggested a couple of stones would spell the end if his world as he knew it.

Amused by them Draco shifted the paper bag to his other hand, the other retrieving a set of keys from his pocket. The boys moving out of his way the Slytherin unlocked the store's front door and pushed it open, motioning for the three to head on in and start taking a look.

Hanging back while the other two ran off with exclamations of excitement and glee Al remained by the Slytherin's side, watching the man take out the cinnamon bun and take a bite. "You seem in a good mood today." Al began carefully, feeling the other man out cautiously, not wanting to misinterpret. But the man's eyes seemed livelier today than they had before, which he took as a good sign.

"I'm having…a good day so far."

"Any particular reason for that?"

Draco's lips curved into the shadow of a smile. "My son insinuated to his grandfather today that he was a pathetic dim wit."

Al's jaw all but hit the floor. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Wahoo!" Breaking out into his happy dance Al completely forgot about his audience as he pumped his fists in the air and wiggled his butt in gleeful abandon.

Having come back to see what was taking the two so long Louis and Lysander both shared looks of surprise as they looked from Al to Mr. Malfoy, who looked very confused and amused by what their friend was doing.

"Why is Al doing his happy dance?" Louis asked the Slytherin. "Are you going to give us that good a deal on the place?"

"The owners did state their willingness to negotiate the price when I told them that one of the interested parties was the Chosen One's son." Draco informed the other man absently while he watched the show with interest. A show that confirmed a number of the Slytherin's theories about his son and the very happy young man in front of him. It still screwed with his mind, to an extent he couldn't put into words, but his love of his son and Scorpius's well being had him fighting his way through the horror. If all he had to do to keep his son from turning out like him or his father was pretend Scorpius wasn't possibly rolling around naked with a Potter, he'd deal.

Somehow.

After a few years. Maybe a decade. Hopefully.

"Well I like the place so far too, Al." Lysander said serenely, sensing that the man's happy dance was coming to an end. "But you should really see more of it before you do your dance."

"Then let's see the rest of it so that I can do another happy dance." Al announced with a wide grin as he came to a flourished stop.

)

It was after dinner when Lucius made his way to Scorpius's room, not bothering to knock as he walked in like he owned the place. Shutting the door behind him the Death Eater walked across the room to where Scorpius sat by the fire, reading a book. The man waited until his grandson got to his feet to speak. "You need to come with me now. There's a meeting tonight and some people I think you need to meet and speak to."

Scorpius had seen the request coming. It had only been a matter of time. "It would be pointless of me to attend, Grandfather. I have no interest in any of it. The time where we could have risen to power is at its end. This world belongs to The Order of the Phoenix, and the people want it that way. You taught me to be smarter, stronger, and more cunning than everyone else. And I am. So take my word for it, Grandfather. The war you seek to start anew is already lost."

"We'll see about that." Was Lucius's cold response. "Now you will come with me, Scorpius."

Sticking out his chin in true Malfoy fashion Scorpius's tone was even icier. "Why should I?"

To say that Lucius wasn't accustomed to being disobeyed was a huge understatement. He was used to his grandson following his orders automatically without any question, much less outright disobedience. Lucius didn't know what had happened to his heir, only that he disliked the changes to a deadly degree. And he was determined to return things to the way they'd once been. "You will come with me because I told you to. I will not be disobeyed or questioned, Scorpius. Now you will retrieve your cloak and you will follow me." And because he could all but see the younger man's denial forming Lucius deliberated added a lie to the mix. "Come with me and if you still believe the war lost after the meeting I will stop…pushing."

Not being an idiot Scorpius didn't believe that for a minute. Revenge was his grandfather's reason for living. Without that hope for vengeance Scorpius couldn't imagine the old man continuing to go on in a world that was so contrary to how his grandfather thought it should be. But it occurred to the younger man that if he were to go to the meeting he would come face to face with everyone that intended Albus harm. And it was always a good idea to know everything one could about ones enemies. Especially since he might need to maim or kill them in the near future.

"I go and you drop this?"

"That's what I said."

"You willing to take The Unbreakable Vow on that?" Scorpius drawled out, just to be an ass.

Lucius flinched, knowing that the younger man knew he was lying. "Are you calling me a liar, Scorpius?" He demanded to know.

"If I were to insult you…I think I could come up with something better than calling you a liar, Grandfather." Scorpius shot back. "Now go downstairs and wait for me. I'll be down in a couple of minutes. Your group has an hour to interest me or I'm leaving."

Insult was plain on Lucius's face as the man turned on his heels and marched out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

Walking over to his closet Scorpius withdrew the cloak with the hidden pockets his grandfather had had made for him on his last birthday. In short order Scorpius had filled those pockets with odds and ends that might come in handy, just in case anyone decided to question him leaving the 'meeting' when it suited him, the Slytherin thought as he finished going through his dark contraband.

That done Scorpius put on the cloak and headed out his own door, closing it quietly behind him. Turning to look down the hallway Scorpius spotted his father right away, the man leaning back against the wall, watching him quietly. That put a hitch in his step for a moment, but Scorpius straightened his shoulders and walked over to meet his father's searching gaze.

"I'm going out. I should be back within the next two hours."

Draco's eyes were dark with worry. "Why?"

"I need to find out more. I'll be fine."

Famous last words, Draco thought, even as he mentally acknowledged that he had no power to stop his son. And he knew, in his gut, that Scorpius had meant what he'd said earlier. His son needed to know more in order to protect himself, and to protect the Gryffindor who had come to mean so much to his son that Scorpius was willing to change his future for him.

So Draco didn't try and talk his son out of it. Instead, he did all that he could do at this point.

"I'll keep Poplar with me until you come home." He said softly, referring to their house elf. "You have only to call him for assistance and he'll transport me to you. I know you don't have a lot of faith in my abilities in certain areas…but I won't fail to protect you."

Scorpius considered the offer and then held out a hand to his father, squeezing it when the older man took it. "You have my word."


	40. Loyalties Are Tested

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it's gotta be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Loyalties Are Tested

Al leaned backwards in his chair so that is pressed up against the wall, the Gryffindor lost in silent contemplation. While it wasn't wise not to shop around Al was fairly sure that they were going to go with the property Scorpius's father had shown them earlier that day. It was perfect for their needs, and the price was within their decided range. All three of them had liked it, which was the most important thing. And the store was three stories high, which meant the main floor could be their shop, the second floor storage and a living area if need be, and the third they could possibly rent out, which would help pay for the overall upkeep of the building.

And thinking about the tour had Al thinking about his conversations with Mr. Malfoy, which had him thinking about Scorpius. And that had him thinking about the fact that when they met up again after the holiday he was going to have to tell the man that he was going to be coming out of the closet when school ended. Which begged the question of whether Scorpius would continue to chase him once he knew what was to come. Of course he'd tried to break up with the man a couple of times now without success, so if he just broke up with the Slytherin again the man would refuse to leave him alone just to be contrary, Al thought with a faint grin. Still, he was well aware of the fact that he should want the man to break up with him because it was in Scorpius's best interest to do so.

But he loved Scorpius and hated the idea of the other man being out of his reach.

Gotta love moral dilemmas.

Trying to distract himself Al turned his attention to the nearby dance floor of the Muggle pub. Watching the few couples there sway to the music, Al enjoyed the easy music and the atmosphere, breaking out into a wide smile when the song ended and another began. One that he'd come to think of as his and Scorpius's song.

Piano Man.

Humming along Al couldn't help but imagine himself dancing to the song with Scorpius. The man probably wasn't the dancing sort, but he could probably bribe the Slytherin into it with sex. And it would be worth it, to have those moments of normalcy, Al thought longingly. To simply hold each other in public, swaying to the music as they enjoyed the song and the closeness of the other's body. And one of the few times when he'd enjoy the difference in their heights. He could lay his head on his man's shoulder and fit their bodies together perfectly.

Sighing at the thought Al rested his head on his hands.

"The song getting to you?" Louis asked as he retook his seat beside his cousin's, returning from a quick trip to the bathroom.

Al worked up a smile for the other man. "It's a classic."

"Muggles do have good music." Louis agreed as he picked up his drink from the table. They'd opted to come here for dinner since his Aunt Ginny had had to work late and therefore couldn't feed them instead. It was a nice place, even if they did need to work on their menu, Louis thought as he sipped. He didn't even want to think about the amount of calories he had consumed.

"So how many phone numbers did you have to decline? You were gone a while."

Louis sighed dramatically. "It's so hard to be as beautiful as me sometimes. And why do women always think that they can turn us straight anyway?"

"Wistful thinking?"

"Must be. Anyway, almost ready to head back to your place? Gran said she was going to drop off some of her chocolate biscuits at your place for us once they'd cooled down. If I'm going to have to hate myself in the morning I might as well go all out tonight."

"Soon as we finish our drinks then."

Nodding his head Louis took another sip, looking around as well. A nearby painting of birds in flight reminded the Gryffindor of something he'd intended to mention to his cousin. "By the by, were you aware that you've gotten to Malfoy to the point where you've changed his patronus?"

"I've changed his patronus?" Al repeated, his brows furrowing as his thoughts shifted so that in his mind's eye he could see the form his lover's patronus had taken at Diagon Alley. It had been the same as his own, or at least a bird patronus anyway. At the time he'd had other things on his mind and hadn't stopped to think about the possible significance. But thinking about it now Al had to admit that a bird patronus really didn't fit with the Slytherin's personality. Something in the snake family would suit Scorpius better, the Gryffindor mused. Or a feline of some sort.

"Rory said it used to be a python."

Al grinned at the confirmation of his thoughts, the grin only growing as he realized why Louis looked so amused by the whole thing. Because Scorpius's patronus changing to match his own suggested that the Slytherin was emotionally invested in their relationship to a powerful degree, which could be a very good or bad thing depending on how you looked at it.

"And you know what they say, cousin of mine."

"What do they say?" Al asked, sensing that his best friend had some witty comment to make.

"Birds of a feather flock together."

Al groaned and laughed.

)

Scorpius wasn't overly surprised to find that they'd opted to use the old Malfoy mansion for the Death Eaters meeting. It was vacant at the moment, none of the tenants after his family lasting long within its walls. Bad things tended to happen to them. His grandfather made sure of it. Scorpius couldn't be sorry about the choice in venue though, this was actually a stroke of luck to his way of thinking. Not that he thought anything would go wrong, because he didn't, but if it did he knew the family estate like the back of his hand, Scorpius thought with all seeing eyes. He'd visited the family home many times with his grandfather in the past, having been told from birth that it was his destiny to reclaim said home when the time came.

Maybe he would still do that, Scorpius silently considered as they passed through the gates and headed up the laneway. It was his family home after all. Nothing changed that. Though it was on the big side, not the sort of place you'd want to live alone in. But he didn't have to live there alone, he was making plenty of sacrifices on his lover's behalf after all. The least Potter could do was let him pick their living quarters.

And he was planning their future together now?

Damn but he needed to get his proprieties straight.

Or was he getting his priorities straight by thinking that?

That he'd brought this all on himself made things that much worse, Scorpius thought darkly as his grandfather magically opened the doors leading into the estate, both men stepping through the threshold in tandem. There were no obvious signs of activity, but that didn't surprise Scorpius in the least. Efforts would have been made to conceal the fact that anything was going on within the estate. Wouldn't want anyone noticing and alerting the proper authorities after all, Scorpius thought sarcastically.

The teenager followed his grandfather into the estate's main ballroom, taking note of those already there in attendance. He recognized them all as cronies of his grandfather's with a couple younger wannabes in attendance. That Donovan Cavendish was one of those people had something dark twisting in Scorpius's gut. He'd known the other man was out on bail and supposedly under house arrest. Word was the bastard git's mother had practically had to mortgage her house to get her son temporarily out of jail, but she'd done it. And she was here as well, no doubt eager for her and her son to contribute to the continued degradation of society.

Oh yeah, this was going to be a real fun meeting.

"I need to speak with some of the others." Lucius said briskly, a gleam coming into his eyes that had Scorpius's stomach twisting just that much more. "Mingle with the guests as they come in. I expect you to welcome them in my place."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow with true Malfoy distain. "Do I look like a house elf to you?"

Lucius's response was chilling in tone. "You look like someone who's asking for a taste of the Cruciatus Curse to remind you of your manners, Scorpius."

The Death Eater's grandson reply was equally chilling. "Try and see which of us ends up on the ground in agony."

Flinching at the look and tone, despising the fear that momentarily welled up inside of him as he looking into his grandson's eyes, Lucius turned on his heels and strolled off, mentally cursing the fact that the boy had chosen this day of all days to rebel against him. Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of their rebirth, a great day of celebration to be celebrated with the only member of his family who remained true to his former master's teachings. But now Scorpius was weakening the way Narcissa and Draco had weakened, breaking because they weren't strong enough to go the distance.

He couldn't let that happen.

)

Watching his grandfather go Scorpius had to fight the urge to take a seat and start hyperventilating a little. Never, in all the years he'd been alive, had he EVER spoken to his grandfather with such disrespect. He'd talked nicer to Potters. Possibly. He was having a little problem thinking straight at the moment, Scorpius silently acknowledged. Even knowing he'd been in the right Scorpius couldn't quite shrug off the way his stomach was rolling from his actions and words. Or the vise-like pain in his heart. His grandfather had meant it when he'd threatened him with the Cruciatus Curse moments before. That was the kind of lengths his grandfather was willing to go to bring him to heel. And while he could live with the man performing that curse on someone else, a number of acceptable individuals came to mind, to do such a thing to him…

Everyone else had been right and he'd been wrong.

His grandfather really had only ever seen him as a potential Death Eater, not as a grandson. Not as family should. His value had always been conditional.

And it was just as mind blowing to realize that if he hadn't hooked up with Albus he might have come to this realization far too late. He might have found himself too far gone at that point to care, or doomed to end up like his grandmother's cousin Regulus, dead as a result of his unwise choices. Not that the Gryffindor had been right about everything, he refused to believe that, but the man had been right about too many of the important things.

Which meant he was incredibly brilliant to have realized his lover was right, Scorpius thought to himself somewhat desperately. Overcoming over seventeen years of biased conditioning was nothing to sneeze at. It was pretty damn impressive if he did say so himself.

It was a small comfort.

"Deep in thought about something, Malfoy? Like how pathetic you are?"

Annoyed at the interruption Scorpius turned to meet Cavendish's cold, soulless stare. "If I wanted to talk to a lower life form I'd hunt up a house elf. Go annoy someone else."

"Pretty tough talk for someone they say is hanging around with Potters now."

"Pretty tough talk for someone who got his ass handed to him by a Potter." Scorpius shot back with eyes a stormy grey. "Tell me, how long were you in St. Mungos recovering before they shipped you off to Azkaban?"

Enjoying the fury that sprang into the other man's eyes Scorpius thought smugly that his lover had never kicked his ass at anything. Though they'd enjoyed putting their hands on each other's asses plenty, he mentally added, needing to humor himself a little.

"I'm not in Azkaban, now am I?"

"But you will be. Or dead. Whichever comes first I suppose." Scorpius moved in close so that they were almost nose to nose. "Stay away from me and mine, Cavendish, or your death will come faster than you can possibly imagine." He didn't mention the fact that he considered Albus one of those people, and not just because it wouldn't do for anyone to know about his relationship with the Gryffindor yet. In truth he wanted an excuse to kill the sociopath, knowing down to his bones that the Slytherin couldn't be allowed to live.

"Is that a threat, Malfoy?"

"That's a promise."

)

Walking into the dive Rorake moved seamlessly through the crowds and tables. He'd been sent to retrieve his father from such places so often that he could rattle off the establishments, addresses, owners and drinks provided without straining himself. Though it was a strain to keep his faces calm as he caught sight of his father in the back of the room, slouched forward on the table in a way that suggested that the man had passed out. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to carry his father out of a dive either.

Since the old man wasn't going anywhere Rorake changed directions and headed for the main bar to pay his father's tab. That was why the message had been sent to the house, the Slytherin thought darkly. Not because the establishment didn't want his father wandering off and possibly hurting himself in his inebriated state. No, they wanted money because they'd realize the man hadn't brought enough money to pay for the numerous drinks he'd so far consumed.

Another familiar story.

Nodding to the bartender, who he was on a first name basis with, Rorake drew out the pouch of gold his mother had given him which was supposed to go towards household funds. "How much was he short, Caleb?"

"Four Galleons, sixteen Sickles, and twenty eight Knuts."

Grinching his teeth at the amount Rorake called his father every foul name he could think of as he counted out the amount, begrudging every coin he handed over. But as much as he would like to leave the man there to deal with the tab when he regained consciousness Rorake knew his mother would simply come to the bar if he returned home empty handed. She always bailed his father out regardless of the price they paid for it.

Once he'd gotten his change Rorake stuffed the remaining coins in his inner coat pocket, knowing the place was probably full of individuals who wouldn't hesitate to pickpocket if the opportunity presented itself. He'd bust more than one assehole's head for trying.

Walking over to where his father still sat Rorake hauled the older man to his feet, buckling a little under the bastard's weight. Where as his body was muscle his father had let his go to fat and was no lightweight. But he could handle it. Wrapping his arms around the man's waist Rorake headed for the door, his eyes out for trouble as he watched others watch him consideringly.

Stepping out into the night air Rorake started walking down the cobbled path, thinking the air might revive the man a little. They hadn't gotten far when the older man started to stir, muttering under his breath as he stumbled drunkenly within his son's grip.

"Don't breath on me or I swear I'll dump you head first into a gutter."

Looking over towards his son the senior Goyle glared blearily. "I'll throw you in the gutter, you useless bugger. It's your fault they don't want me. Your fault I'm here instead of at the big, fancy meeting. If you haven't turned into such a weak, useless git, they'd want me around."

"You should thank me for not leaving you here to choke on your own vomit." Rorake returned, wishing he could do precisely that. And instinct had him giving the man his full attention. "And what meeting?"

"The meeting tonight. The one you'd be at if you'd served Scorpius properly instead of chickening out the way Draco did. Crabbe and I, Crabbe and I we served the Dark Lord until the very end. We didn't go running to our parents, asking for help or protection. We were true Death Eaters." The bitterness dripped from the old man's voice. "But Draco lived and Crabbe died. And now that Crabbe is going to be avenged I'm not welcome. I'm not good enough to join the party."

Standing still Rorake changed his hold so that he and his father were face to face, Rorake keeping a firm grip on his father's upper arms so that the man wouldn't fall or escape his grip. "The old Death Eaters are having a meeting tonight? Why? What are they up to?"

"You'd know it you weren't such a-."

"I get it." Rorake all but snarled, cutting off his father's rant. "Now tell me what's going on. What's going on that you're so disappointed to miss?"

"A Potter's dying tonight." The man drawled out with a wide, dark grin, bleary eyes burning with indescribable hate. "See how he likes it. See how the Chosen One likes it to lose like that."

Going cold inside Rorake shook the man hard. "Who? Which one? Which Potter are they going after tonight?"

"The boy. One of Potter's boys. The middle one. His fucking spitting image."

"Albus." Rorake breathed, all color leaving his face.

"And his death ain't gonna be as quick as his namesake's from what I hear. They've got big plans for Albus Potter tonight. Big plans."


	41. Problem In The Ranks

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in.

Problem In The Ranks

Standing off to the side Scorpius watched the ballroom fill up until there was a little over twenty people in it. Twenty four including himself if one wanted to be entirely accurate. All of them seemed to know each other and the room, suggesting this wasn't the first time one of these little get-togethers had been held at his family estate. No surprise there, though not so good for him necessarily, as he'd hoped for a complete home advantage. And the longer he stood there the longer he couldn't shake the feeling that he was in a lot of trouble. Serious, life threatening kind of trouble.

It wasn't that anyone besides Cavendish had threatened him, quite the opposite in fact, Scorpius silently contemplated. Everyone acted as though his presence at this meeting was a given. Some mentions were made of the Daily Prophet's article within his hearing rang, but no one apparently bought into the idea that he'd suddenly betrayed his own kind and joined the goody two shoes squad. His past seventeen years as a Slytherin badass had served him well it seemed.

If only they knew.

No, what really worried him was the feeling in the air. The anticipation. They were expecting something, something was supposed to happen tonight. Something they were all looking forward to. And that could only be a bad thing because the vibe was that of wolves waiting to tear into helpless prey. It was bloodlust he saw in too many eyes. Just whose blood was the question that was beginning to send cold shivers down his spine.

Scanning the room with steel grey eyes Scorpius allowed his lips to curve just a little as he contemplated why there were a few former members of the Death Eaters who had chosen not to make an appearance. What did his grandfather think, Scorpius wondered, about the fact that several of the old man's former comrades had abstained from helping because their daughters or female relatives were members of the Prince Louis Fan Club. Which meant that if those former Death Eaters caused harm to any member of the he/she Gryffindor's family the fan girls would have easy access to the perpetrators and would make the poor bastards pay in ways that would do any Slytherin proud.

But there were still plenty in the room that were willing to risk the girls' wrath, which meant it was probably a good idea for him to find out just what the hell everyone was waiting for.

Knowing better than to approach his grandfather about it Scorpius mentally evaluated everyone in the room before opting to approach the son of the former Death Eater puppet Thicknesse. The arrogant prick was a notorious gossip who thought his father's short stint as Minister of Magic made him a big shot too. It didn't, but the man's ego was too big and his brain too small for that sort of comprehension.

Walking over to the man Scorpius kept his features politely bored for the moment as he watched the other man puff up over the fact that the Malfoy heir was talking to him after he had ignored everyone save for his little pissing match with Cavendish. Doing his best to hide his extreme distain Scorpius forced himself to shake the man's hand when it was offered. "Thicknesse."

"Malfoy." The man returned, toasting the younger man with his goblet of wine. "Eager for the show to begin?"

Not about to admit he was clueless Scorpius set about finessing the information from the stupid prat with skilled ease. "That's one way of putting it. Though standing around is getting on my nerves."

"Yeah, but that's what you get when you send Aurors to do a Death Eater's job." Rolling his eyes the Death Eater wannabe gave Scorpius a look of complete understanding. "I argued that we should just go and kidnap the little bastard ourselves, no need to use some of Potter's own to snatch the brat I said. But they were all about how they would set the bastards up for the kid's death and how that would be just one more blow against the Chosen One." He added with a sneer and decidedly malicious chuckle. "Knowing that he personally trained some of the men responsible and all that."

Eyes narrowing at the words Scorpius chose his words with infinite care. "I guess they felt it was too dangerous for them to risk losing their own if the kidnapping went bad."

The older man snorted at that. "Oh please. We were just playing with him and his kind the other two times. This time we're serious. And when the Portkey is activated and the prat gets transported here…well your grandfather's only condition was that we not mess up the little bastard's face to the point where Potter won't be able to recognize the severed head of his second son when we send it to him gift wrapped."

)

At Louis's insistence the two headed out of the village on foot. In the blonde's mind his bad eating habits of the night would be somewhat forgiven if he walked as much of it off before bed as was possible for someone who despised exercise as much as he did. And knowing better than to argue with his overly weight conscious cousin Al went along with the idea. Besides, he reasoned, it was a beautiful spring night and perfect walking weather. Not to mention the country road they were walking beside was basically deserted and the odds of them running into a vehicle or anyone was pretty remote. It was a straight, twenty minute walk, the main road eventually connecting to the dirt road that led to his house though the turnoff point was visible only to those with magic in their blood.

Walking side by side by the faint light from the night sky the two men lapsed into comfortable silence with each other, hands stuffed into their jacket pockets as they enjoyed the night and the other's company. Both thought of their Slytherins, and how they'd very much like the opportunity to take a stroll with their respective men in the romantic moonlight they couldn't really enjoy with their cousin.

The darkness they were enjoying made the unexpected patronus that much more visible as it ran at them from out of nowhere.

Recognizing the tiger patronus immediately, Louis's face broke out in a wide grin, delighted to me receiving a surprise visit from his boyfriend's silver tiger. "My man's sending me a message. Guess he still misses me after my visit." He added smugly.

Amused Al stopped to wait while Louis hurried forward to meet the patronus.

But the patronus ran past Louis like he wasn't even there, heading straight for Al with single minded intent that had a shiver running up the green eyed man's spine. When it reached the Gryffindor it came to a grinding halt that would have make the gravel fly if it had been made of more than mist.

"Al, you're in terrible danger." The tiger stated in Rorake's voice, the tone a combination of fear and urgency. "The current Death Eaters are planning to attack you tonight. The Dementors attack and what happened at the school were just diversions to check out your skills and to make everyone think they were just a joke you didn't need to be worried about. They're attacking you now because they know you're outside your house. The men coming for you, some of them are Aurors. They're under the Imperius curse. They'll try to put cuffs on you that have been made into a Portkey and they will transport you to the Malfoy's old family home. The Death Eaters will be waiting for you there. I don't need to tell you what they intend to do when you arrive. There's a shield that's been put around where you are, Al. You won't be able to dissapparate away from them until you take out the one controlling it. I'll go and warn your parents, stay alive until they and I get there. I'm on my way."

And without waiting for confirmation the tiger took off, leaving the road to cross into a field. Which meant that Al's mother had yet to arrive home and that the tiger was going to have to search her out elsewhere. And it might not reach Ginny Potter before her presence was needed. And Al's father had been called away on important business…he wasn't expected home until the following day.

Going cold inside Al automatically bent down, slapping a hand against the leg where he'd strapped on his wand before heading out to the pub to meet Louis.

It wasn't there.

Neither was Louis's when the boy checked his own pant leg. Sometime at the pub they'd had their main weapons lifted from their bodies to insure that they would have nothing but their wits to survive by.

Acting on instinct Al turned and met his cousin's gaze with a fierce intent that was meant to cover up the terror blooming in his stomach. "They just want me. They aren't coming for you. If you turn into your Animagi form you could hide from them easily. As long as you can't identify them you should be safe."

Louis raised one delicate brow. "You don't really think I'd leave you, do you?"

"No. But if your face gets scarred I want to be able to say that I at least offered you a way out."

"Duly noted." Louis acknowledged with a curt nod that belayed his own feelings of dread as he forced himself to remain as calm as he could. "But if Rory dumps me because I end up looking hideous, I'll expect you to kill him for me. Or if not kill, you have to make him uglier than I am at that point. If you don't I'll never speak to you again."

Al's lips twitched in reluctant amusement. "It's a deal."

"That being said, I wouldn't think less of you, and you of me, if we both started running like a legion of Inferi were behind us wanting to rip us to bloody shreds. Last one to the protective shields around your house is buying the pints of ice cream I'm going to require to get over this."

"Double deal." Al agreed as they both simultaneously broke out into their Animagi forms, which were faster than their true forms. Al immediately took to the skies while Louis's paws hit the pavement as a speedy little snow leopard. The former could have gone faster, but he was not leaving his cousin behind. Al flew directly over his cousin's head and mentally prayed that they would reach the safety of his home before they were confronted.

No such luck.

The men who'd come to take him were waiting near the road that would have been their salvation. They hadn't wanted to risk missing the men or hanging around the village and risking their foreign presence being pointed out to the young wizards. So after they'd relieved the two of their wands they'd retreated to wait.

The wait was now over.

)

A red haze appeared in front of his eyes as Scorpius's mind, heart and the soul he liked to forget he had screamed out of fear, pain and with a rage the likes of which the Slytherin had never known or experienced. In that moment he knew what it was to want someone's blood so bad that he could taste it. That the blood in his mouth was his own from biting down on his bottom lip didn't even register in the Slytherin's mind. All he knew, as he arrowed in on his grandfather like Death itself, was that if Thicknesse was telling the truth then his grandfather and everyone in the room would die by his hand if they so much as drew a single drop of blood from his lover's flesh. There was no other alternative in his world that had suddenly narrowed to only one thought. One goal.

Protect his love at any and all costs.

Stepping onto the stage which had once been used for the musicians providing the music for the Malfoys parties Scorpius moved straight to his grandfather, the fingers he set on the older man's shoulders digging in like talons. "I need to talk to you. Now."

Lucius hardly glanced over his shoulder, his posture relaying clearly his annoyance at the interruption. "We'll talk shortly. I'm busy at the moment."

"You'll talk to me now or I'll give you no say in the matter."

Those closest to the two Malfoys tensed up, clearly reading the vibes both men were giving off. And while Lucius's was annoyed and dangerous Scorpius was downright murderous. The man's heir was seriously pissed and was not making an idle threat. But because Lucius had his back to the younger man he obviously didn't see the true depth of the trouble he was potentially in.

But seeing it one of older Death Eater's moved in to referee. "We are having an important discussion, Scorpius. Could this not wait until later?"

"Are you lot intending to kill Albus Potter tonight?"

Those around Lucius blinked in surprise, turning to look at Lucius with confusion in their eyes. Why had the boy not been informed of what they planned to do tonight? Everyone knew how the young man felt about Potter's younger son. Uneasy started to spread as they watched their comrade refuse to confirm or meet his grandson's eyes. What was going on here?

What control he had was so frayed that Scorpius didn't think as he whipped his grandfather around and backhanded the older man across the face, knowing that carried more insult than the punch or curse he craved to deliver the way an addict craved a fix.

"I won't ask you again, Old man."

There was not a sound in the room, a dropped pin could have been heard as everyone moved back or closer to the two Malfoys as they watched with morbid fascination as Lucius placed a hand over his bright red cheek while the hand his grandson's had used disappeared into the younger man's pocket.

A pocket no one doubted contained the Slytherin's wand.

)

Arrowing to the ground Al transformed back to his human form, knowing better than to think he could escape them by flying from them. He was a registered Animagi after all and they would have come with contingency plans in place if he tried. And that aside, he wasn't leaving Louis's side unless it would save the other man's life to do so. Of the seven men coming towards him Al recognized five of them. The other two were familiar in a way that said he'd seen them before, but he couldn't place their familiarity into any illuminating context. They were likely Death Eaters though, here to control the five Aurors who led the way. The man leading the pack was no surprise to the Gryffindor if he was honest, since the men had been trained to throw off the Imperius curse. So it had only been logical to assume that the men chosen would be ones who would want to cause his family, primarily his father, harm. Which was not good, as that meant the Aurors, particular the leader, were older, seasoned fighters who had taken offence to his father not only showing them up in the war against Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but for fast tracking through the Auror department to become the youngest head of the department in its long history. The only surprise was seeing that Matthew Sledge was one of the men. His father might not have been this Auror's favorite person, but the older man was not the sort Al could have pictured being controlled by anyone.

And then, as his eyes connected with that Auror's, Al caught the man's slow wink in his direction before the older man's face returned to its former passivity.

So it would be three against six, two for each other them, Al thought as he struggled to come up with some sort of course of action. And yet not really three on six since neither he nor Louis's had a wand to defend themselves with. And while Sledge was damn good, second only to his own father's biggest rival, the man would not be able to keep them safe and battle the other men at the same time.

Blood was going to be shed.

The Death Eaters had thought this plan out thoroughly.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Good evening." Thomas Burrows began, his face cold and as unforgiving as stone as he looked at the two men with dark eyes blank of any emotion. "Sorry to interrupt your walk, but I'm afraid I must ask you to come with us, Mr. Potter."

Knowing instinctively not to give away his knowledge of the situation Al worked up a smile for the men who had moved into a half circle around him and Louis. "And why would that be, gentlemen? Especially at so late an hour."

"I'm afraid the late hour cannot be helped." Was Burrows's cool response.

"I see. Then I trust you'll permit me to at least return to my home to leave a note for my mother explaining where I'm going and who with." Al countered, keeping his eyes squarely on Burrows since he knew the other Aurors would take their cues from him. What the Death Eaters would and wouldn't do was a mystery, but the set up suggested they wanted as much blame landing on the Aurors as possible. They would hang back until the Aurors had the cuffs on him and he was being transported to the Malfoy estate for his planned execution. Only then would they either execute the Aurors still under their control or release the men from the spell so that they would have to face the consequences of their actions.

"I'm afraid I can't let you return to your home at this time." Burrows informed him.

"And why is that exactly?" Ron Weasley asked as the Auror appeared between the two factions.


	42. Blood Is Shed

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in.

Blood Is Shed

Narcissa walked into the main front parlor, taking in the situation with dark, worried eyes. Her son sat in his favorite chair, new lines of strain digging into his already lined face as he stared off into space. Sitting in the chair beside his was her daughter in law, her face worried too as she held her husband's hand between her own. Standing within grabbing distance of the two was Poplar, the manor's house elf, who looked nervous but obediently still and waiting as well. Her son and daughter in law were both dressed to go out despite the late hour, and Narcissa took that as a very bad sign as she walked across the room to stand in front of her son.

"I'm sure Scorpius is fine." She told him softly, wanting to reach out and comfort him, but sensing that Draco would have none of it. "There's no reason for you to be worrying so."

Draco's eyes slowly focused on hers, taking no comfort from her words. "You can't guarantee that, Mother."

"Lucius would never allow anyone to harm him."

The sound Draco made couldn't be called a laugh, it was too hollow and despairing for such a happy sounding word. "And who will protect him from Lucius?" Getting to his feet Draco looked down at his mother with eyes full of deathly shadows, soft command in his voice. "Go to bed, Mother. We'll retire when Scorpius has returned home."

More than anything Narcissa wanted to be able to tell her son that her husband would never harm a hair on their grandson's head, would die before he would do such a thing. But she couldn't. She had long since accepted that the man she'd loved was gone, the shell of him remaining to torture her for failing to protect him and her son from themselves. For failing to pull her husband back from the darkness that had enveloped him so completely that there was nothing left but the dark inside him. Always eating away at him.

For all of her many, many failings over the decades, she had to pay again and again it seemed.

So instead of arguing with him about what Lucius would and wouldn't do Narcissa straightened to her full height, keeping eye contact with her son. "Then I'll get changed as well and join you in waiting."

"And if he calls for help, whose side will you fight on?" Astoria asked quietly, rising to her feet as she faced off against her mother in law, her silent threat plain.

She'd kill both of her in laws without pity to protect her son. She wouldn't hesitate.

Narcissa wasn't even insulted by the other woman's insinuation and threat. She'd earned it.

"I'll do whatever is necessary to keep Scorpius safe from harm, Astoria. From anyone or anything. On my word as a Black and your mother, Draco. I swear that to you."

)

Lucius's eyes lowered to stare at his grandson's wand hand, knowing that the boy's hand was on his wand and that his heir was more than ready to draw. And he knew, all the way down to his bones, that Scorpius would outdraw him if it came to that. Returning his hand to his side, knowing his grandson well enough to trust that the younger man wouldn't draw on him if he was unarmed, Lucius's eyes drilled into Scorpius's as he did his best to hide his feelings about the other man's actions and all the eyes staring at them like they were a sideshow for the other Death Eaters' amusement. That he'd been humiliated so in front of his peers ate at him, but for the moment he was able to keep himself in check as he demanded to know, in a voice laced with frost, what had gotten into his grandson.

"Have you arranged for Albus Potter to be brought here?" Scorpius demanded to know, ignoring the question completely, his fingers wrapped so tightly around his wand that his knuckles shone white.

"Yes. The Chosen One's youngest son will die tonight." Lucius bluntly informed his grandson, hoping the boy's hatred of Potter's son would snap Scorpius into behaving normally.

"You stupid old man." Scorpius hissed, his voice colder and more commanding than Lucius's had ever been. "What were you thinking? What were any of you thinking? How can you not see how incredibly stupid you all are to kidnap Harry Potter's son." Whirling around Scorpius turned to address everyone in the ballroom, his only thought to make them see reason before it was too late. Because he couldn't fight them all, kill them all by himself, Scorpius realized with a terrible knowledge, one so consuming that it almost brought him to his knees just to think about it. And they wouldn't take Albus without a fight, which meant his man could be coming to this place unconscious, even critically wounded. He needed to be able to insure the other man's safety as quickly as possible, which meant removing as many of the Death Eaters from the room as possible.

He had no way of knowing where his lover was at that moment, or who was with him who could potentially lend Albus aid when the Aurors attacked. He had no way of contacting his lover quickly enough, or getting there in time to prevent the attack most likely already taking place as he stood there, looking at the people responsible.

So he would have to do what he could here, in this time and place, and pray like mad that his man was alive when he saw him next.

Had to be alive, Scorpius thought fiercely as he struggled to find the words he needed, to rein in his fears and intense hatred for the others so that his lover would live. Because Albus had to be alive and stay that way.

He couldn't bear for it to be otherwise.

"If you all think that killing Albus Potter will bring about the resurrection of the Death Eaters you're all sorely mistaken. Kill him and you might as well kill yourselves and save Harry Potter the trouble of doing it himself. Because he will hunt you down, all of you, and bath in your blood if you take his son away from him. And he won't be alone in that mindset either. You mess with one member of that family and you mess with them all. Look at you. Look at your numbers. They outnumber you with family alone, not even counting the friends and allies they could rally within hours of Potter's abduction being discovered. There would be nowhere for you all to hide, just like there was no where to hide before, after the Battle at Hogwarts. You'll be dead or in Azkaban in under a week."

"You dare suggest we're so weak we can't defeat the bastard and his family?" Cavendish called out disdainfully, sneering at Scorpius superiorly. He was craving Potter blood and wouldn't mind adding some of Scorpius's to the mix one little bit.

Scorpius sneered right back at the other Slytherin. "You're the weak and pathetic one, Cavendish. You've already been defeated once by Potter and his friends, and they were all still in school. Do all of you here think you're vastly superior to Cavendish in warfare?" Scorpius challenged, taking heart from the looks of uncertainty that were growing on a number of faces. "The Dark Lord himself couldn't win against Harry Potter, who are you all to think you can succeed where he failed? Who here dares to suggest that they're a better and more skilled a wizard than Lord Voldemort? Who here thinks they are better than my grandmother's sister, the Dark Lord's first lieutenant? She was taken done by the grandmother of the man you intend to kill tonight. Who here thinks they're more dangerous and skilled in dueling than Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"We can kill Albus Potter." One of the older Death Eaters stated defiantly.

"Yes, you can. With these kinds of numbers you can." Scorpius agreed as he struggled to keep his voice even, to keep his wild emotions hidden from his audience. "But if it takes over twenty of you to kill one Potter, how are you going to survive them when they come at you en masse?"

Lucius's body shook a little as he struggled to contain his reaction as he sensed the changing mood of his colleagues and new recruits. The air of hopelessness and fear that was beginning to permeate the room, a sense of impeding doom and uncertainty tainting what he'd struggled so hard to rebuild with the others. Not now, was all he could think as he faced off against his grandson with a dangerous mixture of hate and desperation. Not now that he was so close to finally getting his revenge.

"Coward." Lucius snarled at his grandson, changing his grip on his cane so that he could more easily retrieve his wand, the threat clear.

"Our time to rule has passed." Scorpius coolly informed them, his voice matter of fact. And it was the complete certainty in his voice that reached the other occupants of the room in a way Lucius and other old Death Eaters never had. "You have no charismatic, powerful, and highly trained leader, and you don't have a weak government you can take over without difficulty or opposition. The lesser sentient beings aren't being oppressed to the point where they're willing to join forces with you, and you'd be dealing with a generation who hates everything the Dark Lord stood for. You've been stripped of your wealth, your social positions, and your footholds within the current government. Spilling Potter blood won't make you stronger. It will just make them hunt you down and kill you faster. And you know it. In your hearts you know it."

Taking a deep breath for control Scorpius's eyes scanned the room, deliberately meeting and holding the gaze of everyone in the room.

"Go now. Leave this place. It's the only way you can save yourself. You don't like the way the world is today? Change it the right way. The way that lasts. By fighting for what you believe in with words, not weapons. Violence didn't work for long before, why should now be any different?"

)

Ron stared down his comrades, not completely sure what the hell was going on but dead sure that he wasn't letting anyone near either of his nephews until he was a hundred percent sure they wouldn't be harmed in any way. He'd gotten an urgent owl from Sledge that had indicated that he needed to get his ass to his sister's house ASAP. That Albus was in some sort of danger. He hadn't expected the enemy to be the men he worked with, but he was more than prepared to shed their blood if that's what it took to insure his family didn't lose any more members to violence.

"What's going on here?" Ron demanded to know, since his fellow Aurors all seemed to have been rendered silent in the face of his unexpected interruption of whatever they'd had planned. "What business do you have with my nephew? And why was I not informed about this, Burrows? Why wasn't Harry told?"

"You don't outrank me, Weasley." Was Burrows cool response, his dislike of the other man palatable. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Ron's eyes were fierce as he glared at the older man who'd always been a constant thorn in his and Harry's side at work. "Maybe so, but you're dead wrong if you think I'll let you near my nephews if you've come for them intending to do them harm. You'll have to get through me first."

"Fair enough."

Drawing his wand in one smooth motion the Auror aimed his wand at Ron and sent out a curse designed to slice the other man's flesh into ribbons.

Even as the red beam shot out from the Auror's wand a black mist appeared around Ron, shifting the man from the line of fire and off to the side.

At the same time one of the two Death Eaters became black mist as well, reappearing directly behind Louis and Al with his own wand drawn.

Al had just enough time to turn around, but not enough to escape the blast from the other man's wand. The force of the curse hurtled him backwards as blood erupted from his face as he went down with a crash that was punctured by the sound of his cousin screaming his name, his uncle hurling out a curse in the direction of the Death Eater that had the man falling to the ground in a broken heap as well.

Appearing at his boyfriend's side in one smooth move Rorake reached out and grasped the blonde shoulder, blood soaking his own left shoulder from where the curse had torn a chunk out of his flesh while he was using said shoulder to protect and transport Ron from Burrows' line of fire. Pulling out his wand the Slytherin forced it into the stunned Gryffindor's hand. "Use it to protect Al." He told the blonde in a hard tone designed to snap the other man out of his shock before the Slytherin whirled around, shifting into his white tiger form as he roared his fury and charged the men coming towards them with wands drawn and firing.

Evading the curses and ignoring the agonizing pain from his shoulder Rorake jumped the first Auror he could reach, sinking his teeth into the man without an ounce of regret as the man's screams ripped through the air.

Ron and Louis both moved in unison to stand on either side of Al's still body, firing off curses and spells as they struggled not to stare down at the blood pooling and sliding off the right side of the younger man's unconscious face.

The night air was filled with the sounds of a battle being fought, Ron, Louis and Sludge dueling against the remaining Aurors and the lone Death Eater, who was sending off kill shots as opposed to just curses in an attempt to end the fighting quickly so that he could claim the prize. He kept trying to aim for Al too, thinking that if they were to fail tonight he might be allowed to live if he at least finished off the Chosen One's son before retreating.

After one such near miss Louis glanced down, lowering his guard just long enough for the Auror he was dueling to get in a full body binding curse that had Louis falling to the ground beside his cousin, unable to move.

Trying to take advantage of this the other Death Eater apparated off to the side, intending to slap the cuffs on the Chosen One's son in an attempt to complete his mission so that he could get the hell out of there. Reaching out to retrieve the cuffs from his pocket the man had only a moment to comprehend as his prey suddenly sat up, blood dripping down his face like a grotesque half mask, the wand the Weasley boy had dropped in his hand.

Al was in too much pain to think, only to act. The man meant to kill him and his loved ones. He had to stop him.

"Sectumsempra!"

Even as the Death Eater flew backward and Al once again collapsed, his energy spent, several bright white lights appeared all around them, signaling the arrival of allied forces.

)

Appearing in the middle of the road Ginny, the Longbottoms and Roxanne took in the situation and immediately helped the two Aurors secure the other men, missing only the Death Eater who had gone down under Ron's curse earlier. He apparated from the place upon the newcomers' arrival, bleeding heavily from his wounds. The other Death Eater and the bespelled Aurors were tied up and ready for transportation to St. Mungos, than Azkaban in no time. Ginny left the fighting to the others, running to hover protectively over her son as she struggled to get his bleeding under control. When his head was bandaged as best she could Ginny turned and using her own wand undid the spell that held Louis immobile, hoping for his help.

Hurrying over to get a look at the situation Rorake breath came out in pants, his lips and teeth stained with blood that he wiped away absently with the back of his hand as he crouched down. Pressing his fingers against the side of his best friend's neck Rorake blew out his first steady breath at the erratic but there pulse. "The one Al took down was in charge of the shields, you shouldn't have any problems apparating him to St. Mungos. I'll meet you there as soon as possible." He added as he met Louis's worried gaze.

Watching his boyfriend rise again to his feet, his wand once again in his hand, Louis gave the man a fearful look, sensing that there was more to come. "Where are you going?"

"That other Death Eater got away. He'll report back to the others what I did. I have to get to my house and my mother before they do."

Realizing what the Slytherin had done, really done by helping them, Louis knew in that moment that there was nothing he wouldn't do for the bloodied but determined man standing over him.

"Louis."

Turning his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash Louis looked down at his cousin anxiously, doing his best to hide his reaction to the deep, wet red splattered all over the bandages his aunt had conjured. "Al? Al, can you here me?"

"Go…with him…now."

Gratitude coming into his eyes Louis nodded, looking over at his aunt with fierce eyes. "Get him to St Mungos. I'll see you soon."

Rising to his feet Louis grabbed his wand from Sledge, who had retrieved it from the Auror who had lifted it off his person in the first place.

Then, without looking back, Louis grabbed Rorake's hand as the two apparated from the street.


	43. Time Is The Enemy

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in.

Happy Easter!

Time Is The Enemy

Scorpius could see by the looks on many of the faces that he was reaching them. That they knew he was right. Voices of the older Death Eaters rose in argument, but their words were met with opposition as the newer recruits argued the validity of Scorpius's words and beliefs. But Scorpius would never know whether the majority of them would have departed without doing violence. He would never know because the voices were cut off once more, this time by the sound of a heavy door being thrown open against the wall.

All heads turned to watch the lone figure stagger into the room, falling to the ground in a cloaked heap after a few steps. The closest Death Eaters hurried over, the rest moving in to hear what the man had to report.

Elbowing his way through the crowd Lucius stared down at the man, cold fury all over his face. "Well? Where the hell is Potter?"

"Goyle." The man rasped out, blood dripping down the side of his filthy, bloodstained face. "Gregory Goyle's son. He was there…and Louis and Ron Weasley. One of the Aurors turned on us too. Couldn't bring the boy here. Didn't stand a chance."

"You failed." Lucius snarled, yanking out his wand to point it at the man, his intent clear.

"No…no…not fail." The man gasped, primal fear in his eyes as he looked up at Lucius. "I got off…a shot…Potter….gravely wounded…probably dead. Head shot. Don't kill me. Don't kill me."

Standing in the back, frozen in place, Scorpius only vaguely heard Donovan's mother order her son and three other Death Eaters to go to the Goyle house to make Rory's parents pay for their son's betrayal. His eyes didn't see the four move to obey the woman's orders, he wasn't seeing anything around him for the moment. What he was seeing, in his mind's eye, was the time he'd spent with Albus since they'd become lovers. Every dip and curve of the man's face and body, those beautiful green eyes always so alight with life, recently with love for him. And then he imagined those eyes dull and unseeing, which had Scorpius snapping back, his mind whirling with thoughts as he came back into himself.

Moving on instinct Scorpius hurried towards the door recently vacated, ignoring the other Death Eaters who were too busy interrogating the new arrival or arguing amongst themselves. The Slytherin only paused long enough to memorize the man's face before he exited the room, imprinting the man's face on his brain like acid. Because if the man had killed Albus…if his love was dead…that Death Eater would know in every fiber of his being that Scorpius Malfoy was Bellatrix Lestrange's great nephew, in every screaming cell of his body before he killed the bastard.

Sliding through the doorway Scorpius whirled around and issued a series of spells that would keep the door from being opened again anytime soon. The only other exits were the balconies, and there was no reason for the Death Eaters inside to use the door just yet.

Then, with a voice that shook ever to slightly, Scorpius called his family's house elf to him.

In a flash the elf appeared, along with Scorpius's parents and grandmother.

Taking in his surroundings in a flash Draco moved immediately to his son, reaching out to grasp the upper arms of the younger man, who looked like he was standing by sheer will. "Scorpius. What's happened?"

With eyes dulled with fear and shock Scorpius forced himself to focus on his father's face, calling up the stubbornness he was known for to keep it together. "Rory. We need…we need to get to Rory's house. They'll kill them. They've gone there to kill them." And now that his brain was functioning a little more Scorpius looked down at the elf, remembering what he knew about them and how his kind had always underestimated them. He would not do the same. "There are more Death Eaters in the ballroom. Poplar…can you keep them in there?"

The house elf blinked in surprise at the order, then shook its head. "Not alone, Master Scorpius. But Poplar will keep them there for Master if he bids it." And speaking in a tongue none of the Slytherins had ever heard before the four Malfoys watched as three more house elves appeared in the room, Astoria recognizing them as building maintainers for her father's company. "We will keep them here, Master Scorpius. Go help Rorake Goyle and his family. We will not fail you."

Narcissa glanced at the ballroom doors for a long moment, and then gave the other three a commanding look that broke no argument. "We have no time to waste. Let's go."

)

Rorake's mother was in shock. The sight of her son covered in blood, the blonde with him that she vaguely recognized as one of Fleur Delacour Weasley's children, the whole situation in general had her reeling. She'd been in her room when they'd found her, and their frantic explanations had slowed her down rather than made her hurry. By the time they'd gotten her moving towards the stairs it was too late. Only instinct had Louis backing up in time to miss the shot that resulted in a burning hole in the stairwell's wallpaper.

Pushing Rorake's mother behind them the two sent spells and cursing down the stairs, trying desperately to keep the enemy at bay as they tried to figure out how they were going to get out of this without having to go out a window. Where more Death Eaters could be waiting for all they knew. But they couldn't be sure how long they could last either, given that they knew one of their opponents was Cavendish. And Rorake was badly wounded, suffering from blood loss as he propped himself up against a wall for support, leaving bright red streaks on the paper.

"Take your mother, risk the window." Louis commanded in a low voice, his blue eyes fierce as he shot out a curse that had a painful male scream ripping through the air. "I can hold them off, I'm not wounded. I can do it."

"The hell I'm leaving you, Freckles." He'd damn well stay at the blonde's side until every last drop of blood had left his body.

Too scared and frightened to remember her English Rorake's mother spoke to both of them in rapid French, telling them that there had to be some spell to block the hallway so that they could all make their escape through the window somehow.

"Not that would hold these guys, Mrs. Goyle." Was Louis's rueful look, before his face settled back into serious lines. "I'm sorry about this. So very sorry."

The look the woman gave Louis said otherwise as she continued to speak in French. "No, you have done nothing wrong. Nor my boy. It is the men downstairs who have reason to be sorry."

"We'll make them damn sorry too." Rorake added, then winced and gave his mother an apologetic look. She didn't tolerate bad language from him. Of course his father was another story, but his mother had done her best to make sure he didn't turn out like the father who he'd beaten unconscious to learn everything the older man knew about the Death Eaters' plot against Al.

And then there came the sound of yelling below, and a new battle being fought that they weren't a part of. With a whoop of joy Louis grinned widely, looking over at Rorake with strong purpose. "Our reinforcements must have arrived."

While the two boys kept Rorake's mother safely behind them they listened to the sounds of the battle, going very still the air went silent. And then a familiar voice reached their ears, though none of them had ever heard the man speak in such a worried…almost fearful tone.

"Rory? Rory are you up there? Are you okay? It's safe to come down."

The moment of truth, Rorake realized as he took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders as his grip on his wand tightened reflexively. The moment to learn whether his friendship with Scorpius, and the man's relationship with Albus, had become more important than Lucius to his childhood friend. "I'll go down first. You two stay behind me." Giving his head a warning shake, seeing the argument in Louis's eyes, Rorake gave the man a look that said that he needed the headstrong man to obey him just this once.

And so taking his life in his hands, Rorake walked down the stairs with Louis close behind, Elise Goyle pressed up close behind the Gryffindor.

Waiting at the foot of the steps was Scorpius, flanked by his parents, Narcissa close by. They were all a little short of breath and slightly bloodied, but all wore looks of concern and battle readiness. The Death Eaters who had come to kill the Goyles lay bloodied and still on the ground at their feet.

Instinct had Louis knowing, with one look into Malfoy's stormy grey eyes, that the man knew some of what had happened, but didn't know for sure about Al's status. And that the man was hurting as only someone who loved deeply could hurt because of that.

"He's going to be all right." Louis called down to the Slytherin, keeping his eyes steady and focused on the man who loved his cousin. "One of them hurt him bad, but he was on his way to St. Mungos when we left to come here."

Scorpius's look of gratitude was brief, but genuine as his form seemed to relax, the steadying hand his father had on his arm keeping him standing as he absorbed the fact that he had ever reason to think that his lover would be alive when he saw him next.

The three had just joined the others when they sensed people behind them, the Malfoys forming a protective line in front of them with wands aimed and ready.

Narcissa's heart hurt almost unbearably when her sister came into view, the woman taking in the surrounding with knowing eyes, her wand at the ready as well. The older woman was followed quickly by Teddy and Victoire Lupin, the latter's eyes going to her brother's immediately, her worry plain while she prepared to blast the Malfoys out of her way to get to her baby brother.

"It's all right, Tori. The Malfoys are on our side. And who would ever have thought a Weasley could say that?"

Trusting her brother Victoire ignored her husband's attempt to draw her back and ran forward, Narcissa and Astoria moving out of her way automatically so that she could throw her arms around Louis, hugging him close while she murmured to him in loving French.

"Scorpius," Andromeda began softly, as her grandson hurried over to guard Victoire and Louis. "I trust you can fill me in on your involvement in this?" Her sister might not have been there, for all the attention she paid Narcissa.

Quickly Scorpius summed things up for her, keeping his explanation as brief as possible so that he could get to St. Mungos, get Rory into a hospital bed, and then find some way to get to Albus that wouldn't land him in Azkaban for the next few decades. But he would get to the man, even if he had to pretend to take Louis hostage.

Not for a minute revealing her thoughts on the matter Andromeda turned to get a good look at the general injuries and then issued her orders in the tone of someone used to being obeyed without backtalk. "Teddy, Victoire, Scorpius, you will escort Louis and the Goyles to the hospital. Those Malfoys wishing to come may do so, but I suggest you let my family members do the talking as your word will carry less weight with the authorities. I will go to the Malfoy estate and ensure that the house elves keep the Death Eaters contained until such time as Aurors not working for the room's occupants can be found. Teddy, you're in charge of the others until I return." She added, her expression making it clear that he wasn't to argue with her about her going alone to the Malfoy estate.

"I would…I would help you with that…Sister."

No one breathed in the wake of Narcissa's hesitant words, all eyes going to Andromeda to see what the older woman's response would be.

"Lucius is there." Was Andromeda's simple response, moving closer to her sister as she studied her remaining sibling, knowing the younger woman's every tell. Narcissa had never been able to lie to her, though her sister had always been very good at lying to herself, especially where Lucius was concerned.

Narcissa's response was just as brief and to the point. "I know."

"Come with me if you like then, Sister." Andromeda said softly, giving her baby sister the barest of nods, just the smallest curving of lips. "And we shall do what needs to be done."

)

Their arrival at St. Mungos caused quite the stirring, especially since they were two groups of people one never expected to see mingling with each other. But as planned Teddy started issuing orders as soon as they arrived and with his Black blood out in full force he secured medical attention for Rorake while Victoire hurried off to find the rest of their family and alert them as to where Louis was and that he was safe. There was also the matter of the trapped Death Eaters, and relieving Andromeda and Narcissa of their watch before the two women remembered that they didn't get along.

The three Malfoys stayed close together, Scorpius still flanked by his parents who had no intention of letting that change any time soon. He was grateful though for their presence, the knowledge that they were completely with him one hundred percent of the way.

And though it went against his nature Scorpius allowed himself to be made to wait in the waiting room instead of finding out where Albus was. They wouldn't let him near him now; they probably weren't even letting family near him at this point. So he sat or paced, his mind whirling with all the terrible possibilities. He was ready to pounce when Victoire finally returned with her parents and sister close behind, but was so afraid of the answers she could provide that he remained frozen in place.

"Where is my bebe?" Fleur Weasley demanded to know, not at all pleased to see that her son in law was the only non Malfoy in her sights.

"He's in there with his…with Rorake Goyle, the guy's mother, and the healers." Teddy answered from where he'd been standing guard in front of the door, just in case. People wanted Louis's possible boyfriend dead after all. "He's fine, just some cuts and bruises. Al?"

Bill Weasley glanced at the Malfoys for a moment and then answered while his wife and daughters let themselves into the treatment room without waiting to gain a healer's permission. "They couldn't save his eye, but they managed to close the wound. There was a lot of hate and darkness in the magic, there will be permanent scarring. As to other damage…mental damage…they won't know until he regains consciousness. But he is alive, and they are very hopefully that the eye is the worst of it."

Turning so that he was facing the wall Scorpius closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, his father's hand on his shoulder, his mother rubbing his back in soothing circles. Albus was going to be all right, Scorpius reminded himself over and over again. The eye didn't matter. The scars didn't matter. That he would live was all that mattered. That he would hear the man's voice, feel the man's warm touch, make love to the man again was what mattered. That the life they could build together wasn't over was what mattered. His man would pull through this, it was the Potter way.

"How soon will they let us in to see him?" Teddy asked his father in law, though his eyes kept returning to Scorpius's still back. The man's behavior puzzled him, alerted his instincts that there was more to the situation then met the eye. He'd thought the man's worry was for his fellow Slytherin, but the Slytherin's behavior suggested it was Al's condition that had had the man ready to jump out of his skin.

"Right now they're saying that only immediate family will be allowed to see him once he's in recovery. They were still doing some of the cosmetic work when they sent an assistant healer out to update us."

Giving Scorpius's shoulder one last squeeze Draco forced himself to walk over and meet the gaze of Bill Weasley, a man's whose face had been permanently scarred by a werewolf. A werewolf who had found his way to Hogwarts because he had given Greyback and the other Death Eaters a way to enter the school without detection. The man had never spoken to him, but Draco couldn't imagine the man didn't blame him in part for what had happened. But still, for his son and mother's sake, Draco found within him the courage to speak to the older man. "Have the Death Eaters at the manor been picked up?"

Not for a moment did Bill betray his feelings towards the Slytherin as he answered. "My brother Ron and people we trust headed out to round them up. I'm sure your mother and aunt are fine. They didn't survive this long by being easy to kill."

Draco nodded his thanks for the update. "I would imagine you wish to see your son. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question."

Just the faintest hint of a smile touched Bill's lips. "You've grown up. Good."

And on that note Bill headed off to check on his son as well, leaving Teddy behind to deal with the Malfoys.

Walking over to face off against his mother's first cousin, who he'd never before spoken to, Teddy looked Draco dead in the eye. "You're all staying here even after your friend's son is patched up, aren't you?"

"Yes."


	44. Together Again

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for sticking with me this long, it's been a pleasure.

Together Again

By ten the next morning Rorake's room at St. Mungos had begun to look like a garden. Somehow it had gotten around to all of Louis's fangirls, both past and present, that he had been injured protecting their prince. And they were all very grateful and eager to shower him with flowers, get well cards and even stuffed animals. There were also girls guarding his room since apparently they had no faith that anyone could protect their prince as well as they could. Numerous individuals had tried to get them to leave, but so far none had been very successful. The girls weren't going anywhere as long as their prince was in Rorake's room and thus far Louis had refused to budge from his bedside. The blonde had had a firm grip on his hand since they arrived and had let go only briefly to go to the washroom and eat the food Louis's sisters smuggled in for all of them since apparently everyone with brains knew how fattening hospital food was.

Scorpius hadn't left him either, Rorake thought as he glanced over to the seat his friend occupied. And though his childhood friend's cared about his well being, Rorake knew that the other man was there because Louis was the only way Scorpius was ever going to get to Al any time soon. Various members of the Weasley family came by every so often to give updates on Albus's condition, updates Scorpius wouldn't get otherwise. And non immediate family members were going to be allowed to see Albus in groups of twos in another hour or so. Louis would try to get Scorpius in somehow, though Rorake didn't see how his man thought he was going to pull it off. But this was Louis, Rorake thought as he turned his head to look at his Gryffindor. The man was very good at getting his own way.

Smiling when his man's eyes returned to meet his, Louis squeezed Rorake's hand. "That's an interesting look in your eye."

"Just glad to be alive." Rorake said softly, well aware of the audience they had. Louis's parents had taken up residence in the room along with his own mother and Scorpius's parents. The Malfoys had stayed by their son through the night, Mrs. Malfoy leaving only long enough to retrieve fresh clothes for herself and her men. It had been pretty funny watching everyone's reactions when, the night before, Louis had shocked the hell out of everyone by climbing into his hospital bed beside him, snuggling up against his side like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Both their mothers had looked like they were going to faint dead away for a second there.

He had a feeling he was in for the Weasley version of the Inquisition once he was back on his feet so to speak. Or maybe they were just waiting for Louis to leave the room. That could be it too.

It was going to be interesting once Louis went on his mission to smuggle Scorpius into Al's hospital room.

Louis was a self confident man by nature, overly so, but even he wasn't completely sure how he was going to get the rest of his family to let him take Scorpius Malfoy into Al's hospital room. He couldn't use all of his usual tactics because they were his family, they knew all his tells and tricks. Fooling them wasn't going to be an option. And if he knew his uncle, and he did, Uncle Harry would have every protective spell in the book placed around Al's private suite. Spells that would make changing Scorpius's appearance a pointless endeavor, especially since only family was being let in to see his best friend at this point. And it wasn't like he had Polyjuice potion hiding up his sleeve for just such an occasion.

That he had to do this for a man he didn't even particular like was also annoying, but having spent over twelve hours trapped in the same room as Scorpius Louis was forced to admit that whatever the Slytherin's faults, which were too numerous for him to count, the man genuinely loved Al. The man had suffered silently all through the night, barred from Al's room by his blood, previous actions and the covertness of his relationship with Al. And the Slytherin was seriously suffering; Louis had only to look across Rorake's bed to see how much. The man had one hell of a poker face, but Scorpius was looking a little too much like his father around the edges at the moment. That same air that Draco Malfoy had, suggesting inner pain so great they could do nothing but hold it in for fear of breaking.

He'd imagine he'd look much the same in the other man's shoes.

Well no, Louis silently admitted to himself, he would probably be pacing, cursing, cajoling and demanding to be let into his man's room if the situations were reversed.

But they were alike in their love for Al, and because he loved Al and understood his cousin Louis knew he had to get Scorpius to his cousin ASAP.

He was so not looking forward to it.

)

When the time came and Rosie showed up to announce that it was Louis's turn to come and see Al briefly, Louis gave Rorake's hand one last squeeze and then surprised everyone but Rorake and the Malfoys when he motioned to Scorpius to come with him. Members of his family all gave him questioning looks but Louis ignored them, deliberately driving home to all of them that he wasn't going to be explaining himself until he was good and ready.

So it was the three of them that walked out of the room, Scorpius hanging slightly back as he let Louis and Rosie take the lead. Louis ordered his fangirls to continue to guard Rorake, which they reluctantly agreed to do.

"Why is he coming?" Rosie hissed through her teeth at her cousin, her eyes demanding answers while conveying her uneasiness with having a Slytherin at her unguarded back.

"I can't tell you at the moment. Just trust me."

Rosie gave him a hard look before glancing over her shoulder, meeting the Slytherin's gaze briefly before she went back to looking in front of her. So much of this didn't make sense, she thought darkly, wrapping her arms around herself as she did her best to ignore everyone around her while being aware of them, just in case. Here she was with a Malfoy, one who'd been making trouble for Albus since their first year, but who apparently wasn't as bad as everyone thought him to be. Or not so bad that he'd been a part of the evil plans that had been hatched against her cousin the night before.

But why was Malfoy coming with them? Was Louis friends with the blonde now, because Malfoy was friends with the Slytherin her cousin was apparently dating?

"Who's supposed to go in with me?" Louis asked her, knowing that they were going in in groups of two. The healers had made dire threats if their rules weren't followed regarding visitors.

"Lucy."

Louis felt a small smile grace his lips. Excellent. One thing was going his way. Lucy owed him a favor and he was going to call it in.

When they reached the hallway where Al's private room was Louis wasn't surprised to find it packed with his relatives and friends of the family. Everyone had come and Louis had no doubt that they'd stay for as long as the healers would allow them. They would all be surprised by what he was about to do except for Frankie, who apparently had seen Al and Scorpius getting cozy on the train ride home. According to Al the Hufflepuff had been struck dumb by what he'd seen, but Louis figured the other man would have recovered his senses by now. He could only hope their friend had the sense to keep his mouth shut for the time being.

Taking a deep breath and praying for luck Louis stopped, waited until Scorpius was at his side, and then spoke softly under his breath. "I'll do the talking. Say nothing or this isn't going to work."

Though it went against every fiber of his being to do so, Scorpius nodded his head.

And he was so close now, Scorpius thought as his eyes looked past the Gryffindor to the door the rest of the man's family was guarding. Al was behind that door. If he had to bite his own tongue off to keep quiet, and put himself in the Weasley's hands temporarily, then so be it.

So the two walked side by side through the crowd that parted ways for them, everyone wearing shocked expressions as they looked to each other and at Louis for answers as to why Louis was bringing a Slytherin into their midst. Marching up to his grandfather Louis concentrated solely on him. "Where are Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny?"

"They're talking with the healers about taking Al home as soon as possible. Your grandmother is with them."

Good, that was very good. There was no way his uncle would have let him bring Scorpius into the room. So far so good.

Looking around until he spotted his cousin Louis didn't bother to beat around the bush, knowing that every second counted. The longer everyone was off balance the better the chance he had to blindside them into letting him smuggle Scorpius in to Al. "Lucy. You owe me a favor and I'm calling it in. Malfoy's going in with me. Sorry."

While Lucy gapped at her younger cousin in surprise Rosie spoke up.

"Are you out of your mind, Louis? Is he making you do this?" The girl added, giving the stony faced Slytherin a suspicious look.

"You can do a quick scan of me if you want but I haven't been bespelled or cursed or threatened by him. At least not today." Louis added, trying to bring a touch of humor to the conversation. "I know how weird this is but I have my reasons and I can't tell you about them at the moment. But they're good ones. You all know how close Al and I are, you know I would never let Scorpius near him if I thought he'd do something to him. So you all are just going to have to trust me and let us in."

"Let him in."

All eyes moved from Louis to Frankie, who stood off to one side with his parents, who were looking down at their child like he too had lost his marbles.

Hunching his shoulders as he shuffled his feet Frankie's words were a little stammered, but full of conviction. "I know…I know why Louis is…let him take Malfoy with him. It's what Al would want."

Not waiting for anyone to agree Louis got a good grip on Scorpius's arm and pulled him towards the door, coming to a halt when James moved to block their way, his cousin's eyes and the wand in James's hand signaling clearly that he had no intention of letting Scorpius anywhere near his little brother.

Taking another deep breath Louis moved forward until he and James were all but nose to nose. It was then he pulled out the ace he'd been holding for this particular face off. Pitching his voice low once more so that only James could hear, Louis gave his final argument.

"You'll let him in because he's the reason Lily isn't in this place trying to overcome the physical and mental torture Cavendish and his friends would have put her through if Scorpius hadn't warned Al what they intended to do. You owe him for that so you are going to get out of the way, James. Now."

Pushing his cousin lightly off to the side, something he would have never been able to do if the man hadn't been stunned speechless, Louis opened the door, hurried them both through, and then closed it hard behind them.

Letting Scorpius's arm go Louis got straight to the point. "Go. I'll hold them off. Don't make me sorry."

)

Knowing every second counted Scorpius hurried into the room, knowing that the other blonde would only be able to keep them all out for a few minutes at best. His lover was the only one in the room, the Gryffindor lying still and silent in his bed. Walking over to sit on the side of the bed Scorpius stared at the man with a huge lump in his throat, reaching out to finger the sides of the white bandages wrapped around the man's head to cover the wounded side of the Gryffindor's face. He was so pale and still, Scorpius thought as he stared down at his man. You aren't supposed to be pale and still. You're supposed to be tanned, moving, and driving me crazy.

As if he's spoken the words out loud Al's lashes began to flutter, and slowly the Gryffindor opened his remaining good eye to meet Scorpius's. When the Slytherin just stared down at him Al smiled just a bit. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm going to be so much hotter when I get the eye patch."

"Idiot. You're such an idiot." Scorpius choked out, leaning forward to bury his face in the side of the other man's neck. "You're the King of the Idiots."

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too."

Scorpius stilled, moving up so that he could see the Gryffindor's face. "What?"

"I love you. I've been an idiot prat not to tell you that. I love you, Scorpius Malfoy. Even if you are the Emperor of the Idiots."

Staring at the man, seeing that he meant it, Scorpius's lips twitched, and then curled into a wide, true grin. "If I'm the Emperor than I'm upgrading you to God of the Idiots."

"I like the idea of being your god." Al drawled out with a grin of his own.

"You aren't up to being worshipped." Scorpius pointed out, then leaned forward to kiss the man as gently as he could, sighing with contentment when the Gryffindor weakly kissed him back as much as he was able. Pulling back Scorpius admitted the words he'd been cursing himself for not saying a million times since he'd learned the other man was in danger. "I love you too."

"Knew it." Though he hadn't really for sure, which had Al grinning like an idiot and forgetting all about his eye, the major headache he had pounding in his head, and pretty much everything else but the fact that his lover loved him in return. "Now kiss me some more, Emperor, or I'll have you kicked out of the Idiot bed."

"With pleasure."

)

Louis tried, he really did. But it hadn't taken long for those closest to him to recover their senses and try to get in. And while Louis was pretty damn proud of his spell casting skills, they were too skilled, especially his Aunt Hermione, to be kept out for long. As soon as they got through they all bulldozed past him, Al's parents in the lead with the Malfoys close on their heels, having come to stand by in case their son got into any trouble. Pinned down by his cousin Fred Louis tried to call out a warning but it was already too late.

Everyone came to a grinding halt as they took in the scene before them. The two teenage boys were in Al's bed, together, making out with as much enthusiasm as they were up too given all they'd been through since the night before. Al had tugged the Slytherin's hair loose but it didn't provide enough of a curtain to keep it from being brutally obvious that there was some serious tongue action going on between Al and Scorpius's mouths.

"Oh my God." Was the best Harry could get out, horror such as he hadn't known in a very long time written all over his suddenly very pale face.

Crossing his arms smugly Draco couldn't help but rub it in, even as he looked anywhere but at the bed. "I guess your relationship with your son isn't as good as mine. I already knew."

Looking over at the Slytherin Harry looked ready to choke his former nemesis with his bare hands. And instinct had him lashing right back. "They look just like us when we were that age."

If it were possible for Draco to go any paler he would have. "You bastard! You…you…I had finally managed to accept the whole thing without even getting nauseated! I was…you…and for your information they don't look like us." Draco stuttered out, eager to draw blood in return for the man's destruction of his mental well being. "They look like our fathers."

Going as white as a sheet Harry stared at the man in horror. "Oh but I hate you!"

"I hate you more!"

"No, I hate you more, you Slytherin-mpph."

Harry's words were cut off by his wife slapping a hand over her husband's mouth. "That's enough, both of you."

"Exactly." Grabbing her sputtering husband's arm, Astoria exchanged a nod of understanding from Ginny, the two both dragging their struggling, cursing, insulting husbands from the room.

James turned his head to watch them go and then looked back at the two in the bed, somehow completely unaware of their audience. "Oh but I'm going to be sick."

"Makes you wonder how Al thanked him for saving me." Lily drawled out, wiggling her eyebrows at her brother, who really did look like he was going to be sick.

Glaring at his sister James started pulling her out of the room after their parents, calling out for everyone to do the same.

When everyone was out of the room once more Scorpius finally broke off the kiss, smiling down at the dazed looking Gryffindor. "That ought to take care of them all being informed that you're mine now."

"You are so bad." Was Al's opinion, too worn out to shake his head at Scorpius's smugness.

"You love that I'm bad." Scorpius pointed out.

"Since I love you I guess I can't argue with that, can I?"

Scorpius grinned as he leaned down for another kiss. "Care to be corrupted a little more, Potter?"

"Anytime, Malfoy. Anytime."

)

The End…Sorta….

There is a planned short sequel that will focus on Louis/Rorake since they didn't get their 'quality time' together in this fanfic. It will also wrap up the loose ends like the law problem. First chapter should be up next week.


End file.
